A Piece for the Seasons
by ElectronicYarn
Summary: Cinder has resurfaced, and her mad quest for power has begun again. Yang, Blake, Weiss, and Ruby are ready to fight. Enemies new and old, friends familiar and forgotten, and even fragments of the past will all converge on the Kingdom of Mistral where the fate of Remnant will be decided. Part 3 of the Missing Pieces series.
1. Prologue

_Author's Note:_ _ **WARNING: Major character death ahead! Do not read this story if this upsets you! Major character death ahead! You have been warned!**_

 _Now that that's out of the way, welcome to part 3 of the Missing Pieces series! If you haven't read_ Missing Pieces _and_ A Few Pieces More _, I highly recommend you read those stories first. But keep in mind (if you can't tell from the warning above) this story has a darker tone than its predecessors._

 _This story was written after Volume 4, but it's only compliant with canon through Volume 3. For those of you wanting a refresher on the differences, they can be summed up thusly. The events of Volume 4 obviously did not happen. Ruby and Winter are the Summer and Winter Maidens respectively. There is no Whitley, and Weiss's mother is no longer part of the Schnee family and/or possibly dead. There are a few other small differences. I'll mention them in the author's notes when they come up._

 _I hasten to add that since this story was conceptualized before Volume 4, my Cinder is not in the same situation as canon Cinder. It'll be pretty obvious what I mean when she shows up._

 _I'm also experimenting with the format of this story. There will be normal-sized prologue and epilogue chapters to start and end with, but the four chapters in the middle will be extra-long mega chapters. This means you'll be getting a lot more with each update, but there will be more time in between them. Feel free to let me know what you think of this approach._

 _I should say now, I'm expecting some of the things that happen in this story to be controversial, but hey, this series is no stranger to controversy. Speaking of which, just to make sure everyone saw…_

 _ **WARNING: Major character death ahead!**_

 _This version of the story contains implied sexual content. A more explicit version has been posted over on Archive of Our Own._

* * *

 **Chapter 1: Prologue**

A lone bullhead tore through the frigid winter skies, racing against the unseen hands of time. The turbulent air shook the airship, jostling its occupants in their seats, but Yang hardly even noticed. Her attention was completely focused on her cybernetic hand. She watched with all the fascination of a small child as her mechanical fingers slowly curled open and closed one at a time.

When Yang had first gotten her prosthetic, she'd subconsciously done her best to pretend it was her old flesh and blood arm magically returned to her. When her prosthetic had been damaged in the fight against Adam and she'd been forced to go without it, she'd tried to forget it had ever existed. But Yang was determined to finally make herself accept the truth. It was the only way she could think of to truly be at peace with what had happened.

Yang clenched her fist. One way or another, it was time to put past tragedies behind her. She couldn't afford to be distracted, not with what lay ahead. Team RWBY had received word not long after their transport had crossed the borders of Mistral. The fight to retake Haven Academy had begun.

Combat was certainly nothing new for Yang. She'd fought monsters, criminals, and worse. But this time felt different. From what Yang had heard, the fall of Haven had been eerily similar to the battle that had destroyed Beacon. The grimm had suddenly appeared in unprecedented numbers and overwhelmed the underprepared school. Maybe it was those haunting similarities. Maybe it was the scale of the looming battle. But whatever the reason, Yang felt afraid. She, Yang Xiao Long, was afraid.

Not so long ago, Yang would have scoffed at the notion of being scared. She'd been born to fight, not huddle in some corner like a coward. But the fear gnawing at the pit of her stomach was undeniable. Nevertheless, Yang wasn't going to let her fear hold her back. She understood now. Fear could be overcome. It was not an absolute. Better than that, fear was like a spice. It mixed with her excitement and anticipation, making everything so much more intense. Despite her fear, or maybe because of it, Yang wanted to get into the fight now more than ever.

Yang unclenched her fist and let her arm rest on her leg. She looked over to her left where Blake was sitting. Blake offered Yang a smile, but Yang could see the anxiety hidden behind it. She realized that she wasn't the only one who was afraid, so she reached over and took Blake's hand in her own.

Blake was bundled up in her greatcoat and a big knit hat, but the garments didn't seem to be up to the task of keeping her warm. Her skin felt cool to the touch in Yang's hand. Yang may have been able to get away with wearing her new crop top and short-sleeved duster thanks to her semblance, but Blake wasn't so lucky. Yang wished she could hug Blake right now and warm her up, but they were both strapped securely into their seats.

Yang looked over at the bullhead's other passengers. Weiss and Ruby were sitting side by side. Weiss was wearing a fashionable coat and a fur hat. Ruby had on the old scarf Taiyang had given her years ago, the new coat Weiss had bought for her this winter, and her ever-present hood.

Weiss's hand was resting on Ruby's shoulder, but Ruby probably didn't even noticed. Her eyes were closed and her fists were clenched in intense concentration. If Yang had to guess, she'd say that Ruby was trying to summon up her power as the Summer Maiden.

Yang frowned. She hated the idea of Ruby being the Summer Maiden. It made her a target. Since Yang had found out that her mom had been the previous Summer Maiden, she'd wondered more than once if Summer had been killed in a bid to usurp her power.

Yang still remembered the warning she'd received from Neo of all people. Cinder wasn't going to stop just because she was the Fall Maiden now. She wanted all the Maidens' powers for herself. Yang wasn't sure if she could trust what Neo had said, but it was still an all too real possibility. Yang didn't know how she could possibly protect Ruby from someone like Cinder. Even with all their power, Maidens more experienced than Ruby had fallen prey to would-be thieves.

Yang's grip on Blake's hand tightened. Maybe she couldn't save Ruby from Cinder or her ilk, but that didn't mean she wouldn't try. She'd always do her best to protect those she loved, no matter what.

Ruby's eyebrows knitted together and she hunched forward as she concentrated even harder, but nothing happened. She let out a frustrated sound and slumped back into her seat.

"It's no good," Ruby said, speaking loud enough to be heard over the whine of the bullhead's engines. "I just can't do it."

Weiss said, "I'm sure you'll succeed if you keep on trying. I believe in you."

"Thanks, Weiss," Ruby said. A tiny smile crossed her lips.

"It's okay, Sis," Yang said. "You don't need fancy Maiden powers to kick some grimm butt."

"But what if Cinder shows up?" Ruby asked.

Yang had been thinking the exact same thing, but she hadn't dared say it. She tried to think of something reassuring to say, but words failed her. There was no use denying it; sooner or later, they would face Cinder.

Ruby said, "The only time I was able to do anything with my power was…." She trailed off, but Yang knew she was talking about Pyrrha.

Blake said, "Then you know you can do it. You drove Cinder off last time. The next time she won't get away."

"Yeah," Ruby said. "And next time all of you will be there too."

Weiss said, "We're going to stop her, Ruby. Together."

"Yeah!" Ruby said. "Cinder doesn't stand a chance."

Yang let out a breath. She didn't feel any relief, but she was glad that Ruby seemed to. "Thanks," she said, quiet enough that only Blake could hear.

"I meant it," Blake said.

"I know," Yang said. "Blake, I love you."

"Yang," Blake said. "We're going to get through this."

"I know," Yang said again. "I just…needed to say it."

Blake smiled. She cupped her other hand over Yang's. "I love you too," she said.

Suddenly, the bullhead lurched to one side. There was a buzzing sound and the pilot's voice rang out over the intercom, "We're almost to Haven, but there are grimm everywhere! We've got griffons incoming!"

Ruby undid the buckles that were holding her to her seat. She jumped up and said, "Come on, Team!" Then she ran to the side door and hit the button to open it.

The roar of the air rushing past filled the cabin as everyone else extracted themselves from their seats. They all ran to join Ruby. When Yang got to the door, an unrelenting, bone-chillingly cold wind bit at her exposed skin. She had to turn up her semblance another notch to keep warm.

It was dusk outside, but even in the fading light, Yang could see inky black silhouettes swarming closer and closer to the bullhead. Ruby drew Crescent Rose and unfolded it into its gun configuration. "Everybody get ready!" she said, pulling back on the hammer.

Weiss flicked Myrtenaster's cylinder over to the yellow Dust chamber, Blake folded back Gambol Shroud's blade, and Yang activated her gauntlets. Everyone took aim at the griffons approaching them.

"Ready…" Ruby said. "Fire!"

A fury of lightning and bullets erupted from the side of the bullhead. Griffons fell from the sky like so many swatted flies, but there seemed to be no end to them.

"This is pointless!" Weiss shouted. "We need to get on the ground!"

Blake glanced down. "There!" she said, pointing.

Yang followed Blake's finger. The mountaintop Haven Academy was built on loomed below her. It was so choked with grimm that the mountainside seemed to be covered in a teeming carpet of living darkness. But then Yang spotted it. There were flashes of light in the center of campus, gunfire and Nature's Wrath holding the grimm at bay.

"Ruby!" Yang said.

"I see it!" Ruby said. She zipped over to the intercom. "There are people fighting on our left side! Get us there so we can jump!"

"Roger!" the pilot said. "Hang on!"

The bullhead banked hard. Everyone grabbed on to something to keep from being flung out of the airship prematurely. Yang's hand found Blake's arm and held on tight. She knew it wasn't necessary, but she couldn't help but try to keep Blake safe. If there even was such a thing as safe anymore.

When the transport leveled out, Ruby ran back to the door. "Come on, Team! Let's clear the way! Weiss?"

"Right," Weiss said, understanding Ruby perfectly. She thrust her finger toward the ground, and a yellow light shone underneath everyone's feet. Yang felt the rush of Weiss's time dilation glyph wash over her. Everyone raised their weapons and a storm of raw destruction exploded from the bullhead. The transport shuttered as the pilot corrected for the sudden force. In mere seconds, the skies were clear. But everyone knew it was only temporary.

Ruby looked down. "We're almost there. Everybody ready for this?"

Blake said, "It'll be just like the Emerald Forest."

"Yeah," Ruby said. "Piece of cake!"

The small patch of resistance against the grimm was almost directly below the bullhead now. "Aaand…" Ruby said. "Go!"

Ruby leaped from the transport, and Weiss followed immediately behind her. Blake was about to jump as well, but Yang put a hand on her shoulder.

"Is something wrong?" Blake asked.

"No, it's just…" Yang said. She reached up and brushed her artificial fingers across Blake's cheek. The mild sensation her prosthetic gave her was barely the faintest echo of what it was really like to touch Blake, but Yang could still feel the connection between them. "Please. Be careful," she said.

"Of course," Blake said. She grabbed Yang's hand off her cheek and kissed it. "You be careful too," she said.

"I will. I promise," Yang said. "Now let's go fight some grimm!"

Blake smiled at Yang. She let go of Yang's hand and stepped from the bullhead. Like that she was gone.

Yang walked up to the lip of the door. The grimm were everywhere below her. It was like she had a front row seat to the end of the world. For a terrible instant, Yang wasn't looking down over Haven but standing back at Beacon. In her mind she could hear Blake's cries of pain, feel the heat of the flames, and see Adam's terrible, soulless face. Yang took a moment to drink in her own fear. She wanted to really feel it, because she knew it couldn't stop her. Team RWBY had beaten Adam. They were going to beat this.

Yang cast her fear aside and flung herself into the pandemonium below.

The air whooshed past Yang as she plummeted head-first toward the ground. In the few seconds that she had, she searched for the biggest, nastiest grimm she could find. She quickly spotted a goliath on a rampage. The beast was charging through Haven's defenders, flinging them about like rag dolls with its trunk.

Yang corrected her course with a blast from Ember Celica. Then she pointed her gauntlets behind her and fired off every last shell in them, save one, to propel herself faster and faster.

Yang hurtled toward the goliath with blinding speed. She thrust her cybernetic fist forward, and then she crashed down on the goliath like a meteor. The force of the impact rattled Yang's teeth, but her arm sunk a good foot into the terrible beast's head.

The goliath let out an anguished cry, but it was abruptly silenced when Yang fired off her last shot into its head. The creature's legs buckled. Its massive body crashed down, making the ground around it shake violently and kicking up a plume of fallen snow.

Yang pulled her fist out of the goliath's head. She hopped down and landed in front of the grimm as it began to dissolve. Her semblance had happily fed off the force of her impact with the goliath. She could feel its power simmering inside of her, begging to be let loose.

Yang looked around for her next target. However, what she found were the people the goliath had been attacking. Judging by the mud-caked uniforms most of them were wearing, they were students of Haven come to take back their school. Every last one of them looked weary and worn. They had obviously been through a lot.

Yang walked up to a boy who was sprawled out on the ground. He didn't seem to be injured, just exhausted. "Are you okay?" Yang asked.

"I don't know," the boy said breathlessly. "We've been fighting for almost a week to reclaim Haven. But the grimm just keep coming."

"What about Cinder?" Yang asked. "Has she shown up?"

"Who's Cinder?" the boy asked.

A piercing howl interrupted Yang before she could answer the boy. She looked up and saw a pack of beowolves bearing down on her and the students.

"I'll tell you later," Yang said. She pulled out two clips of shells from her pouch, both of them infused with red Dust. She tossed them into the air and caught them in her gauntlets. The second she'd reloaded, she ran for the encroaching beowolves.

"Wait! You'll—" the boy called out. Yang ignored him. She knew exactly what she was getting herself into. It was time to let her semblance come out to play.

Yang's fist hit the lead beowolf squarely in the chest with bolstered strength, and a fiery blast exploded out from her gauntlet. The creature was blown back from the sheer force of the attack, and it collapsed dead to the ground.

The other beowolves hardly even noticed their fallen comrade as they surged forward. Yang threw herself into the frenzied pack. They lashed out at her with tooth and claw, but they didn't stand a chance. Yang's fists became a blur, and the pack was utterly consumed by the literal fire she unleashed.

As the last beowolf fell, the hair on the back of Yang's neck stood up. Acting on instinct, Yang rolled away, and just in time too. A beringel's fists smashed into the ground where she'd been standing. The beringel wasn't alone. Two more quickly joined it. Yang readied herself. Beringels were more dangerous that beowolves, but she knew she could still take them as long as she was careful.

Suddenly, shots rang out. One of the beringels staggered forward. A blade on the end of a ribbon whizzed through the air and plunged into the creature's side. It howled in pain, but before it could do anything, Blake leaped onto its shoulders and delivered a powerful kick to the side of its head.

The beringel toppled forward. Blake rolled off of it, yanking Gamble Shroud out with her. She quickly popped back onto her feet and took a position by Yang's side.

A tiny smile crossed Yang's face. "Just like the Emerald Forest, eh?"

"Something like that," Blake said.

Unfortunately, the beringel that Blake had attacked wasn't dead yet. It staggered back to its feet and let out an inhuman roar of rage and hate. Its companions echoed its battle cry, and all three of them surged forward.

Yang and Blake held their ground. When the beringels reached them, they effortlessly dodged and counterattacked as one. They danced around the savage beasts, perfectly in time with each other. There was no need for words. Each of them knew the next move the other was going to make.

An intense longing suddenly filled Yang as she and Blake beat back the beringels. This was the life she had planned on living. She'd dreamed of the day that she and Blake would graduate Beacon and go traveling the world together as huntresses to fight the grimm. This was what she wanted, not to be caught up in some madwoman's schemes. It was bittersweet getting this little taste of the life she'd thought would be hers, but Yang pushed her feelings aside. She couldn't let them distract her.

One by one the beringels fell to Yang and Blake. The last one tried to grab Blake, but she slipped away, leaving the creature grasping at a clone. Yang moved in and slammed her fist into the beast's chest as Blake jumped over her and slashed at the beringel with her sword and sharpened sheath.

The beringel cried out in pain, but it was too late. It fell to the ground, already dissolving back into nothing.

Yang gave Blake a thumbs-up. But then the sound of thunderous footsteps made her turn her head. Another beringel was approaching. Judging by its massive size and the bones protruding from its back, it was older and far more powerful than the three Yang and Blake had just dispatched.

Yang didn't waste a second. She lunged forward and threw two punches into the beringel's chest, followed by an uppercut to its jaw. Despite the power behind her blows, the beringel was barely fazed at all. Yang stepped up to punch it again, but the creature's gigantic hand batted her effortlessly aside.

"Yang!" Blake cried as Yang flew through the air.

Yang skidded across the ground and tumbled to a stop. Blake rushed to her side to help, but Yang was already climbing back to her feet. Her eyes turned blood red and her hair began to glow like a shining beacon in the twilight. She felt the rush of new strength filling her. After such a boost, the old Yang would have immediately charged down the beringel and let the creature have it, but she'd learned the dangers of recklessly rushing ahead. Her eyes might have been red, but she was still in control.

The beringel beat its fists against its chest, like the gorilla it was a twisted mockery of. It began lolloping toward Yang and Blake.

Blake folded back her sword's blade and fired her gun rapidly at the beringel's face. Yang followed suit and started lobbing shells at the creature. She still had red Dust rounds loaded in Ember Celica. Their fiery blasts crashed against the beringel's body. The combined attacks stopped the creature in its tracks.

"Keep firing!" Blake shouted.

"Yeah!" Yang said. The two of them fired shot after shot until the great creature was teetering on the brink of collapse.

"Now!" Blake said. She sent a clone running toward the beringel.

Yang followed directly behind Blake's clone. When she and the clone got close to the beringel, it smashed its fists down on top of the false Blake, making the clone vanish. Yang couldn't have asked for a better opening. She cocked her arm back and slammed her gauntlet into the creature with all of her semblance-enhanced strength.

Despite the beringel's massive size, it was sent flying back a good ten feet where it impacted the ground hard enough to send up a spray of dirt and snow.

Yang lowered her fists. She ejected the spent shell casings from Ember Celica. "Do you think it's dead?" she asked Blake.

"It's not disappearing," Blake said as she slid a fresh magazine into Gambol Shroud.

Yang pulled out another two clips of shells and quickly reloaded. Sure enough, the beringel's eyes opened. It sprung to its feet and let out a savage roar. Yang raised her fists again and Blake took aim, but before either of them could fire, the blade of a poleax swung down from behind the beringel and drove itself into the creature's head.

The beringel howled madly and flailed about with its arms, trying to dislodge the weapon. Suddenly, the poleax was violently ripped from its head. The blade swung around and cleanly sliced through the grimm's neck. The severed head evaporated away before it even hit the ground.

Behind where the beringel had stood was a blond man, bundled up in a tan winter coat. He smiled in a satisfied way and rested his poleax on his shoulder.

"Dad!" Yang shouted, recognizing the man.

"Yang?" Taiyang asked. His face lit up, and he ran for Yang.

Yang met her dad halfway. Taiyang picked her up in a hug and spun her around, managing not to drop his poleax in the process. "Little Dragon!" he said. "I'm so relieved to see you're okay!"

"You're relieved?" Yang asked. "I'm not the one who was in the middle of a war zone!"

"Hey! Give your dad some credit," Taiyang said as he set Yang down. "Is Ruby here too? Have you see her?"

"We came here together," Yang said. "She's—"

"Incoming!" a voice shouted.

Everyone turned their heads and saw Ruby riding on a giant, white boarbatusk that was glowing with a ghostly, pale light. She had Crescent Rose in her hands and was somehow managing to squeeze off shots and still stay mounted. Grimm were lunging at her, but her mount's tusks and her deadly-accurate fire mowed them all down.

Yang said, "There she is."

Taiyang exclaimed, "What is she doing?!"

Blake said, "It looks like she's riding on one of Weiss's summons."

"That Weiss girl is here too?" Taiyang asked. Then he turned to Blake. "Wait. Who are you?"

"I'm—" Blake said, but she was cut off when a griffon suddenly crashed to the ground in front of them. It thrashed about like it'd been shot, but it wasn't dead yet. It clawed its way back to its feet and let out a piercing screech.

Everyone raised their weapons instantly, but Ruby called out. "I got it!" Her boarbatusk wheeled in the direction of the griffon; and in the direction of Yang, Blake, and Taiyang.

"Uh…" Yang said worriedly, but it was too late. Ruby and her boarbatusk smashed into the griffon. The griffon disintegrated instantly, and Ruby's mount began to glow brightly.

Before the summoned boarbatusk crashed into Yang and everyone else too, it vanished in an explosion of light. Ruby went tumbling to the ground. Her momentum carried her along, and she rolled to a stop in front of everyone's feet.

"Ruby!" a new voice called out. Weiss came running up, completely out of breath. She stopped by Ruby's side and doubled over. "That…" she gasped in between breaths, "…was the dumbest…thing you've ever…made me participate in."

Ruby's head popped up. "Yeah, but it worked! Nice job on the summon! You're really getting the hang of it!"

Taiyang said, "Ruby! Are you alright?!"

Ruby stood and dusted herself off. "Yeah, I'm fine. I—" Ruby cut herself off when she looked up and saw who was standing there. "Dad!"

Taiyang's lower lip quivered as he looked his youngest child over. He suddenly threw his arms around Ruby. "Oh my precious little girl! I didn't think I'd ever see you again!"

"Of course you were going to see me again," Ruby said. "I'm fine."

Taiyang was openly sobbing now. "You are in so much trouble for leaving home, Young Lady!"

"Dad…" Ruby said.

"I hate to interrupt," Blake said, looking off in the distance. "But more grimm are coming."

Taiyang let go of Ruby and dried his eyes. He said, "You're right, uh…who are you again?"

Yang said, "Better worry about that later." She pointed. Dark shapes were moving against the last few rays of the setting sun. Dozens of grimm, if not hundreds were massing.

Taiyang said, "They're just not giving up."

Ruby said, "Then neither are we! Everyone get ready. Because here they come!"

Taiyang folded his poleax into its rifle configuration. Blake held up her pistol. Weiss lifted her hand and conjured up a summoning glyph in front of her. And Yang raised her fists. They all stood firm.

As the hoard approached, Yang's lips pressed together. There were so many grimm, but Yang wasn't going to give up. She was standing with her team and with her family. They were all drawing a line in the sand, saying that they would not back down from this darkness that was threatening to consume the whole world.

Yang's eyes found Blake's. She saw in them the same hardened determination. They were there for each other, no matter what might happen.

The grimm surged forward, growing closer and closer. But suddenly, the skies lit up with sound and fury. Blasts of energy rained down, obliterating the grimm a score at a time.

Everyone looked up and saw an Atlesian warship swooping toward them like a guardian angel. Its weapons were unloading on the grimm with all the destructive power they could unleash.

"Well," Taiyang said. "That's a welcome sight."

* * *

 _Author's Note:_ _Since we haven't gotten to Volume 5 yet as of this posting, I have no idea what Taiyang's canon weapon is. (Assuming he ever gets one.) It wouldn't even matter if I did know._ Missing Pieces _already established him wielding a poleax. Funny story though, there are about a gazillion different was to spell "poleax". Maybe I should have given Tai a halberd instead. It's almost (but not quite) the same thing._

 _Just a reminder that the next chapter is about four or five times as long as one of my regular chapters, so it will take me longer to get it finished. I've got a bit of a head start so hopefully it won't be too long until I can post it, but no promises._

 _And now for something completely different. If you're feeling super generous, I now have a ko-fi page. If you like the work I do enough to make a small donation, you can do so there. You can find my page by either clicking the button at the top of my tumblr or going to ko-fi dot com slash electronicyarn. Now I promise I'll shut up about this in the rest of my author's notes._

 _As always, I welcome constructive criticism. Please feel free to leave a review. And if you like what you've read, taking the time to favorite and/or follow really helps me out. You can also find me on tumblr (electronicyarn) if you want to send me a message or be notified of updates._


	2. In the Cold Dead of Winter

_Author's Note: This chapter and the next three will be split into parts that are more or less the length of one of my normal chapters. I'm hoping this aids readability._

* * *

 **Chapter 2: In the Cold Dead of Winter**

PART I

A light snow had begun falling over Haven. Yang was standing in the middle of what used to be the school's main courtyard. Atlesian soldiers had taken the place of the grimm on the decimated campus and were busying themselves by setting up defensive positions and attending to the wounded. They had come ready for war, fully decked out with their high-tech armor and weapons, although their usual complement of robots and mechs was conspicuously absent.

Robots or no, Yang was still happy to see the soldiers. The sheer number of grimm that had been attacking Haven made it obvious that it would take far more than just Team RWBY to turn back this tide. The state of Haven could attest to that. Many of the school's buildings had been reduced to nothing more than rubble, and Yang didn't think she'd seen a single intact window.

The rest of Team RWBY had wandered off not long after the fighting had stopped, leaving Yang alone with her dad. Blake had mumbled something about scouting the outskirts of the school to make absolutely certain no more grimm were lurking about before she'd disappeared, and Weiss had gone to find whoever was in charge of the Atlesian forces. Ruby had waited for all of a second before speeding away to follow Weiss.

Taiyang hadn't been pleased with his youngest daughter's sudden disappearance so soon after their reunion, but she'd run off too quickly for him to object. After waiting impatiently for a few minutes, he asked Yang. "Do you think Ruby will be gone long?"

"I'm sure she'll be back soon," Yang said.

"She'd better," Taiyang said.

Yang looked over at her dad, intending to say something reassuring. But when she saw him bouncing up and down in an effort to keep warm, she laughed. In stark contracts to his daughter, Taiyang was bundled up from head to toe. Now that he wasn't battling the grimm, he'd put on a scarf, a hat, and a pair of mittens, in addition to his thick coat. But even with all his extra layers on, he was still shivering.

"What's so funny?" Taiyang asked.

"Nothing," Yang said. "I'm just surprised you're out here. You've always been such a wimp when it comes to the cold."

"Hey! Show some respect, Young Lady!" Taiyang said. "You wouldn't be talking so tough if you didn't have your semblance to help you out."

"Maybe," Yang said. "But this is nothing. It's good you weren't in Atlas with me for very long."

"I'd be happy to go my whole life without setting foot that far north ever again," Taiyang said. "But I'm sure glad you stayed. I don't think I've heard you laugh since…well…."

Yang felt a reflexive pang of anxiety hit her, but it quickly passed. She said, "It's okay, Dad. You can say it."

Taiyang gave his daughter a tiny smile. "I haven't heard you laugh since that monster hurt you."

"I got him back," Yang said. " _We_ got him back."

"I heard," Taiyang said. "I was so proud of you and Ruby. You're already saving the world, just like I knew you girls would. Just imagine what you'll be able to do when you're both done with school!"

Yang let out a humorless chuckle.

"What?" Taiyang asked.

"I remember Uncle Qrow telling us that a day out here was worth a week of school," Yang said. "I don't know if a classroom has much to teach us anymore."

Taiyang thought about it for a moment. Then he said, "Well you've got my vote. You and Ruby may not have graduated yet, but you're full-fledged huntresses as far as I'm concerned."

Yang smiled. "Thanks, Dad."

"But don't think that means you're done learning!" Taiyang said.

Yang's smile turned sad. Her eyes wandered down to her arm. "Believe me. I know," she said.

Taiyang's gaze followed Yang's, but he immediately forced himself to look back up again.

Yang said, "I told you, Dad. Whatever it is you can say it. I'm not pretending it didn't happen anymore."

"Then can I see it?" Taiyang asked. "Your new arm?"

Yang held up her prosthetic, opening and closing her fist to demonstrate. "Ta-da," she said. "The finest in Atlesian technology."

Taiyang took ahold of Yang's arm. He turned it over in his mitten-covered hands, examining it with a wide-eyed look of fascination.

Yang bit back a laugh when Taiyang started wiggling one of her fingers like he'd forgotten it was attached to her. Her dad could be such a nerd when it came to technology. Ruby's love of weapons had definitely come from him.

Taiyang curiosity hadn't been satisfied yet. He pulled off a mitten and started poking at one of the joints that articulated Yang's finger.

"Hey! That tickles!" Yang said, giggling. She pulled her hand away from Taiyang.

"You can feel that?" Taiyang asked, amazed.

"A little bit," Yang said. "It's not much, but it's better than nothing."

"That's incredible!" Taiyang said as he slipped his hand back into his mitten. Then he started babbling. "Have you tested its full capacity yet? Maybe thought about putting in some onboard weapons? I mean, think about it! You could never be disarmed! Well, I guess you could. Literally. But—"

"Dad!" Yang said with a laugh. "Now you sound like Ruby."

"I'll take that as a compliment," Taiyang said.

Suddenly, Yang heard the sound of boots crunching in the snow. She turned and saw Blake walking up.

As she approached, Blake said, "There's no more sign of the grimm. At least not at the moment."

"Too bad," Yang said. "We'd really mop them up with all the soldiers here."

"Maybe that's why they're staying away," Blake said.

"I didn't think grimm were that smart," Yang said.

"Some of them are," Blake said. "The more dangerous ones."

Taiyang held up his hands. "Before this goes any further, I never did catch your name."

"I'm Blake. Yang's…" Blake hesitated. "…partner."

"Oh! You're Blake! The B in Team RWBY!" Taiyang said. He grabbed Blake's hand and started shaking it vigorously. "Yang's told me so much about you! I'm Taiyang, by the way. Yang's dad."

Blake looked uncomfortable as Taiyang continued to enthusiastically pump her hand up and down with no sign of stopping. When she'd had enough, she tactfully pulled her hand free and said, "It's good to meet you, Sir."

"Don't call me sir," Taiyang scoffed. "It makes me sound old."

"Alright," Blake said.

Yang suddenly threw her arm around Blake's shoulders. "Hey, Blakey!" she said. "You forgot to tell Dad about the part where we're girlfriends!"

Yang felt Blake tense up, much to her amusement. Blake was so used to keeping secrets that Yang wasn't surprised she'd hesitated to tell Taiyang about their relationship. Fortunately, she knew that Blake didn't have anything to worry about.

"Girlfriend?" Taiyang asked. "Another one?"

"Yeah, we…" Yang said. But once she'd fully processed what Taiyang had said, she exclaimed "Dad!"

"You're not going to break her heart too, are you?" Taiyang asked.

"It's different this time!"

"You've said that before."

"Dad, I love her!"

"You've said that before too."

"Dad!" Yang exclaimed. She was so mortified that she was actually blushing. Of course her dad would find a way to make this as awkward as possible. The worst part was that he wasn't wrong. She had said stuff like that before.

Scrambling to salvage her dignity, Yang blurted out, "I didn't know what I was talking about back then! I—!"

Yang cut herself off when she felt Blake reach up and take ahold of the hand draped over her shoulder. Yang was suddenly terrified that Blake might have taken what Taiyang had said in the worst way. She looked at Blake and asked, "You know I really love you, right?"

"Without any doubt," Blake said.

The resolve in Blake's voice soothed Yang's worries. And judging by the surprised expression on Taiyang's face, it hadn't been lost on him either.

Blake said, "We've gone through…difficult times together. You had every right to hate me after what happened at Beacon."

"Blake!" Yang said. She gripped Blake's hand a little tighter. "I never hated you!"

"I know," Blake said. "And even after I ran away, you…."

Blake's voice faltered. Yang couldn't take it anymore. She let go of Blake's hand so she could give her a proper hug. It seemed Blake's emotional scars from the fall of Beacon hadn't healed any more than Yang's had. Yang wondered if either of them would ever really recover. All she knew for sure was that they needed each other now more than ever.

Yang looked at Taiyang and said, "It's different this time, Dad. A lot different."

Taiyang had a look of awe on his face. After a minute, he slowly walked up to Yang and Blake and wrapped his arms around them. Yang thought she heard him sobbing.

"Dad? Are you crying?" Yang asked.

"I'm just…I'm…" Taiyang stammered. "I'm so happy to meet you, Blake."

"Thank you," Blake said softly.

It was at that moment that Ruby and Weiss walked up. Ruby said, "We're back, everyone! And, uh…." She trailed off when she saw everyone embracing one another.

Weiss asked, "Is everything alright here?"

"Ruby!" Taiyang exclaimed, completely ignoring Weiss. He pulled out of the group hug and tried to compose himself. "Why did you run off?! Again!"

"I was just going to help Weiss out," Ruby said. "We were coming right back."

"Ruby," Taiyang said, obviously still very emotional, "please, just, let me at least talk to you for a minute!"

"Sure. Why wouldn't I?" Ruby asked, sounding confused. "Did something really happen? Everyone looks like they've been crying."

"Don't worry about it, Rubes," Yang said, finally letting go of Blake. "Everything's fine. I was, uh, just telling Dad about how I'm dating Blake."

"Okay," Ruby drawled, sounding like she wasn't convinced that everything actually was fine.

Taiyang said, "No more avoiding the subject, Ruby! Running away from home is a serious matter!"

"Daaad!" Ruby whined. "I left a note!"

"You could have been killed!"

"It wasn't like I was alone! I had friends with me!"

"They could have been killed too!"

"Dad," Ruby said. "Beacon was destroyed. All those people got hurt, or worse! Someone had to do something!"

Taiyang sighed. Then he smiled a sad smile. "You are so much like your mother sometimes."

"Dad," Yang chimed in. "You said it yourself. We're basically huntresses now. If that's what you really think, you're going to have to let us be huntresses."

Ruby's expression brightened. "Really? We're really huntresses?"

Taiyang scratched the back of his head. Then he said, "Yeah. I guess you are."

"Wow!" Ruby said. "Did you hear that Weiss? Oh, Weiss! This is my dad, Taiyang."

Weiss bowed her head politely. "It's a pleasure to meet you again, Sir."

"Why does everyone keep calling me sir today?" Taiyang asked. "I'm not that old!"

"I don't know," Yang said, trying to lighten the mood. "You kind of are."

"Hey! You won't think so when you get to be my age!" Taiyang said.

Ruby asked, "Wait, Weiss. What did you mean by 'again'? You've met Dad before?"

"Yes. Once," Weiss said.

Taiyang said. "Sort of. We barely even got to talk."

Weiss said, "I'm sure we'll have plenty of opportunities to get better acquainted now."

Ruby said, "Well you two better get to know each other! You're my girlfriend after all, Weiss!"

Weiss's eyes went wide with alarm. "Ruby!" she exclaimed.

Taiyang didn't look any less flabbergasted than Weiss. "Girlfriend?! You too?! But I haven't even given you the 'date talk' yet!"

"It's not that big of a deal," Ruby said.

"Hey!" Weiss said, while Taiyang simultaneously said, "What?" Then both of them said in unison, "Yes it is!"

Ruby held up her hands defensively as she received two sets of looks. "I mean, yeah, it is," Ruby said. "But Weiss and I were already best friends forever! It's not that different from dating."

Yang managed to keep herself from laughing. Leave it to Ruby to have no idea how big of a step she'd taken with Weiss. Yang wondered if she should feel pity for Weiss because of Ruby's cluelessness or envy over how effortlessly Weiss and Ruby had made the transition from friends to girlfriends. She and Blake certainly hadn't had such an easy time of it.

Taiyang sighed. "I guess you couldn't stay my little girl forever," he said to Ruby. "And going on some playdates with Weiss here is probably good for you."

"Playdates?" Ruby scoffed. "Pff, no. It's nothing like that. Weiss is totally in love with me."

Ruby's statement shocked Taiyang into silence, but it had the exact opposite effect on Weiss. Her face turned bright red and she shouted, "Ruby! You! I never even said—!"

"You've said it lots of times." Ruby waved her hand dismissively.

Yang chuckled. "Yeah when she thought you weren't listening, Rubes."

"You stay out of this!" Weiss snapped at Yang. Then she turned back to Ruby and said, "Regardless of…my feelings, you can't just go around telling people about our relationship! We've talked about this!"

"It's okay to tell Dad, isn't it?" Ruby asked. "Besides, I love you too. So that makes it all okay!"

"You…you…" Weiss stammered as Ruby's casual yet sincere declaration derailed her train of thought.

Taiyang said, "Love?! I've been missing all the most important parts of my girls' lives!"

"Dad, it's okay," Ruby said. "We're all here together now, right?"

"Yeah. I guess we are," Taiyang said. He nodded to himself. Then he said, "Well come here, Ruby-Roo. You haven't given your dad a hug yet."

Ruby smiled and ran to Taiyang.

"You too, Little Dragon!" Taiyang said.

"Aw, Dad," Yang said. She walked over to Taiyang and joined his and Ruby's hug.

Taiyang said, "I'm so happy to have my daughters back."

Ruby said, "We're glad to have you back too, Dad!"

Taiyang looked up at Blake and Weiss. "I'm glad to meet my new daughters too," he said and motioned for them to join in.

Blake and Weiss glanced at each other. Blake said, "Uh…that's…."

Weiss said, "It's a bit premature to call us your daughters."

"Not from what I've seen," Taiyang said. He motioned again.

Blake grimaced, and Weiss sighed. They both reluctantly joined Taiyang, Yang, and Ruby.

Yang felt like she might start crying all of a sudden. She hadn't realized how badly she'd missed her dad. And to have him and Ruby and Blake and even Weiss here all together was a salve for her soul. This was the answer she'd been looking for. There was so much good she still had in her life, and if she focused on that, maybe she could finally find some measure of peace.

"Alright! Enough standing around!" Taiyang said, letting go of everybody. "As huntsmen and huntresses. We've got a job to do!"

"Yeah!" Ruby said. "Team RWBY Plus Dad is ready for action!"

Weiss said, "I spoke with some of the officers here. I'm sure they'd be happy to coordinate with us."

Taiyang said, "That's not a bad idea. But first we need to go track down a moldy, old Qrow."

Excitement spread across Ruby's face. "Uncle Qrow's here too?" she asked.

"Yup," Taiyang said with a nod. "He was on the other side of the school, fighting off a whole bunch of ursai last I saw."

"Let's go find him then!" Ruby said.

Taiyang led the group on a search. It wasn't hard to find Qrow. He was in the middle of an argument with a pair of Atlesian soldiers. It seemed like he'd recovered from his injuries since Yang had last seen him in Atlas, but he still looked more haggard than usual.

"Uncle Qrow!" Ruby cheered as she ran for him.

Qrow turned around just in time to get caught up in a hug from Ruby. "Hey, Kiddo," he said. "It's good you're here."

Qrow made a dismissive gesture at the two soldiers as he hugged Ruby back. The soldiers looked perplexed. One of them shrugged at the other, and then they started walking away.

Taiyang marched up and said, "Qrow! Did you know about this?"

"No," Qrow said, letting go of Ruby. "Ironwood didn't bother to let me know he was coming. I told him to get his little ships to Mistral weeks ago. I guess he's finally gotten it through his thick, metal skull how bad things have gotten here."

"I'm not talking about Ironwood!" Taiyang said. "I'm talking about Yang and Ruby having girlfriends!"

"Ruby too?" Qrow muttered.

"So you did know!" Taiyang said.

"That's not what's important right now, Tai," Qrow said.

"It's important to me!" Taiyang said.

The sound of an engine roaring overhead drew everyone's attention skyward. Up above them, a tiny transport had dethatched itself from the giant warship, and it was heading in the group's direction.

"Well what do you know," Qrow said. "It looks like Jimmy's finally going to give me the time of day."

* * *

PART II

Of all the sights to see in Mistral, especially given the state of the kingdom, Weiss had not expected Ruby's uncle to be the one that was occupying her attention. Nevertheless, while everyone else was watching the small transport heading in their direction, Weiss was busy sizing up Qrow.

Weiss had met Ruby's uncle twice before, once during the Vytal Festival and once in Atlas. She hadn't been impressed with him before, and she certainly wasn't impressed with him now. It was difficult for her to believe that he and Ruby were even related. There didn't seem to be any family resemblance between them in appearance or in attitude.

Unfortunately, it was painfully obvious to Weiss how much Ruby admired Qrow. Weiss sighed internally. She didn't understand why Ruby was so enamored with her gruff, alcoholic uncle, but she supposed she could tolerate his presence for the sake of the positive effect he had on Ruby's mood. After the battle she'd just experienced, she knew cheer would be hard to come by in the days ahead.

Even bearing witness to the fall of Beacon hadn't prepared Weiss for today. The fighting had been like nothing she'd ever seen before. The Grimm had been just as malicious and destructive as ever, but behind their savagery, Weiss had sensed a cruel intelligence guiding them. There had been an order, however subtle, imposed upon their chaos. Weiss didn't know how or why, but just the thought of it terrified her to her core.

Weiss shivered and not because of the winter chill. She glanced over at Ruby. More than anything right now she really wanted to hug Ruby, or at least hold her hand. She wanted some kind of physical contact to soothe her nerves. Unfortunately, such a display wouldn't be appropriate with all the people around. It was bad enough that Ruby had already told Taiyang about their relationship. He may have been unexpectedly accepting, but he was just one more avenue through which Father might learn the truth.

Ruby's effortlessly nonchalant admission of love a few minutes ago wasn't helping Weiss keep her emotions in check either. Had Ruby just been saying that, or had she really meant it? Asking for clarification wasn't an option right now, and the uncertainty was killing Weiss.

Ruby must have noticed Weiss's distress, because she turned to Weiss and asked, "Are you alright?"

"I'm fine," Weiss lied. She forced herself to smile.

"Okay. If you say so," Ruby said.

The transport finally drew close. Its engines kicked up a flurry of snow as it neared the ground. Weiss shielded her eyes until the transport finally touched down.

The transport's door opened, and General James Ironwood stepped out. Weiss immediately noticed something odd. He was wearing his winter field uniform, but his rank insignia was missing from his collar. Weiss had met the General at various social functions over the years, and he did not seem like the type to be sloppy with his appearance.

Weiss didn't have long to contemplate the mystery of Ironwood's uniform, however. Right behind the General, Winter stepped out of the transport as well. A tinge of panic shot through Weiss. She hadn't anticipated running into her sister. It was true that Winter had aided Team RWBY's journey to Mistral, but she'd been none too pleased with the idea.

Weiss made the mistake of locking eyes with Winter. She tried to look away, but she found her gaze held captive. However, Weiss didn't see the anger she'd been expecting in Winter's eyes. To the contrary, they were only filled with concern.

Qrow sneered as Ironwood and Winter walked up. "What's she doing here?" he asked.

Ironwood glanced at Winter. Then he said, "Specialist Schnee is a valued member of my staff."

"Don't give me that crap, Jimmy," Qrow said. "She's the Winter Maiden, and you know it!"

Winter said, "That has yet to be proven."

"Oh yeah?" Qrow asked. "When was the last time Oz made a mistake about something like that? Just because you're a lousy Maiden doesn't mean he was wrong."

"How dare you!" Winter said, mirroring Weiss's thoughts.

Ironwood held up his hand to quiet Winter. He calmly said, "I don't understand, Qrow. You were the one who insisted on the Summer Maiden being here. Why are you so opposed to Winter's presence?"

Ruby shifted uncomfortably on her feet at the mention of her status.

Qrow said, "I wanted my niece here so I could protect her. I figured Atlas was a safe enough place for the Ice Queen. What with her injured."

Winter said, "I've fully recovered from Adam Taurus's attack."

"If you say so." Qrow pulled out his flask.

Ironwood said, "It doesn't matter now, Qrow. Winter is here and so am I. We're going to defeat Cinder."

"Just like that, eh?" Qrow asked. "Do you even know where Cinder is?"

"Not at the moment," Ironwood admitted. "But you and I both know it's only a matter of time before she attacks in person again."

Qrow took a long drag on his flask. When he was done, he wiped his mouth with the back of his hand and said, "By the time that happens, it might already be too late."

"Do you know something I don't?" Ironwood asked.

"The Spring Maiden is here in Mistral too," Qrow said.

"What!?" Ironwood exclaimed. "Where!?"

"Kuchinashi, last I heard," Qrow said. "Although who knows where she is now."

"How did you find out about this?" Ironwood asked.

"A little birdie told me," Qrow said.

Weiss didn't care for Qrow's patronizing tone, but to her confusion, the General seemed to accept what Qrow had said at face value.

Ironwood looked worried. "All three of the Maidens here," he muttered.

"Just like Cinder wants," Qrow said.

"What about Ozpin?" Ironwood asked.

Qrow looked away. He took another pull from his flask before putting it away. "Ozpin's dead," he said.

"But what about—?" Ironwood tried to ask.

"He's dead!" Qrow interrupted. "I don't know how, but he's really dead this time."

Ironwood's expression turned dire.

Suddenly, Ruby stepped forward. She said, "Uh, excuse me? Sir? I don't really know what's going on. But me and my team came here to stop Cinder. And no matter what's happened. That's what we're going to do."

"You?" Ironwood asked. "You're just a child."

Weiss blurted out, "Don't discount her! Ruby's the Summer Maiden! And don't discount any of us either! We came here to help her!"

"Yeah!" Yang said. "We're huntresses, or as good as. It's our job to protect the world!"

Blake said, "We can't stand by and do nothing. If Cinder isn't stopped, nowhere and no one will be safe."

Ironwood said, "That's a commendable attitude. But I doubt your families would agree with you putting yourselves in such extreme danger."

Ruby said, "You can ask my dad. He's right here."

Taiyang stepped forward. He put his hands on Ruby's and Yang's shoulders. "I believe in my girls," he said. Then he glanced over at Weiss and Blake. "All of them."

Weiss nodded in Winter's direction and said, "My sister can vouch for my resolve."

Winter didn't look pleased, but she said to Ironwood, "While I do not approve of Weiss's presence here, I wasn't able to prevent her from coming. She and her team will fight, with or without our consent. And they are capable."

"Very well," Ironwood said. "Then I welcome everyone's help."

Qrow said, "Now that we're all just the best of friends, when are the rest of Atlas's ships getting here? We're going to need them to keep all the grimm at bay."

Ironwood frowned. He clasped his hands behind his back and said, "They're not coming."

Qrow's eyes narrowed. "What are you talking about?" he asked.

"My soldiers and I are here illegally, in defiance of the council," Ironwood said.

"You're on the council!" Qrow said.

"Not any longer," Ironwood said. "Mistral continues to refuse Atlas's aid. They still believe that this is nothing more than a grimm attack."

"Are they stupid or something?" Qrow asked. "How do they explain Cinder."

"Cinder has been careful to keep out of the public's eye," Ironwood said. "The Maidens are just a fairy tale to the world at large. But after what happened at the Vytal Festival…let's just say that the politics of the situation are complicated."

"Who cares about politics!?" Qrow said. "Mistral is going to be too busy trying to stop the grimm to do anything about Atlas anyway."

"In the short term," Ironwood said. "But there's more to it than that. Atlas's robotic units have been pulled out of service until it can be determined how they were compromised. They represent a significant portion of Atlas's military strength. Most of the council members feel that it wouldn't be prudent to provoke a war without our military at its full strength."

"If we don't stop Cinder now, it won't matter if Atlas has its little windup soldiers back or not!" Qrow said.

"I agree," Ironwood said. "That's why I'm here. But one ship is all I have."

"Figures," Qrow muttered, pulling out his flask again. "You finally do something I can respect you for and it still pisses me off."

Ironwood lowered his head. "With the Spring Maiden in play…. I need to confer with my staff."

"Fine. You go do that," Qrow said dismissively. He turned and looked at Team RWBY and Taiyang. "I've got some conferring of my own to do."

Ironwood started walking back to his transport, but Winter said, "Sir."

Ironwood glanced at Winter. Then his eyes turned to Weiss. "Very well," he said.

"Thank you, Sir," Winter said.

As Ironwood walked away, Qrow said, "What. Don't tell me you're joining our little powwow."

"Yours? No," Winter said. "But I would speak with my sister."

"You sure that's all you're after?" Qrow asked.

Winter's eyes narrowed. "Why do you always assume that everything is about you?"

Qrow glared nastily at Winter, and Winter glared right back. The tension began ratcheting up. But then Taiyang asked, "So who wants to eat?"

Qrow and Winter both looked at Taiyang with blank expressions.

"I don't know about everyone else," Taiyang said, oblivious to the situation he'd just defused, "but I skipped dinner. I'm starving!"

Suddenly, Ruby gasped. "Oh no! We left all our supplied behind!"

Yang said, "No, we brought them with us. They're in our bags!"

Blake said, "Which are still on the bullhead."

"Yeah!" Yang said. "Which is…uh…."

Weiss pinched the bridge of her nose. "Which is probably halfway back to Atlas by now."

There was a long silence. Then Ruby said, "Sooo. I don't suppose any wonderful older sisters of a certain member of Team RWBY would be willing to share some of the supplies that I bet they brought a whole bunch of on their fancy airship, would they?"

"Ruby," Weiss groaned. Sadly she knew that was Ruby's best attempt at subtlety.

Winter looked at Ruby, but remarkably, there was a hint of reluctant amusement in her eyes. She said, "I will see what I can do."

* * *

About twenty minutes later, Team RWBY and Winter were all sitting around a Dust-powered heating unit that Winter had provided. Dinner had been served in the form of military rations, also courtesy of Winter. Qrow had pulled a reluctant Taiyang away from his food to discuss something, but everyone else was eating. Weiss was doing her best not to turn up her nose at the meal. She hadn't really been expecting five-star cuisine, but this so-called "food" was just terrible. She didn't know how Winter could stand it with any regularity.

Ruby was sitting next to Weiss, snarfing down her dinner. Weiss would have criticized Ruby's table manners, but they weren't exactly at a table. In fact, it would've been easy to imagine that they were all enjoying the warmth of a cheerful campfire somewhere out in the woodlands. There was a certain peacefulness to the scene. Snowflakes were gently falling, and a quiet stillness had settled over Haven's campus.

Unfortunately, this was not the woods, and Team RWBY was not on a campout. Weiss knew without a doubt now that they were in the middle of a war.

Weiss glanced at Ruby. She tried her best not to find Ruby's lack of decorum cute. Sometimes Weiss wondered how she possibly could have fallen in love with Ruby. In many ways, they were complete opposites. Weiss didn't give any credence to that old, trite adage about opposites attracting. Although, Ruby being an outsider to the world of high society did lend her an open and honest nature. It was one of the things that Weiss loved most about her.

Weiss looked across the heater to where Yang and Blake were sitting. The two of them were snuggled closely together. Weiss knew Yang must be sharing the heat her semblance generated to keep them both warm. Even in the midst of what was happening, they looked so content to just be by each other's side.

Weiss felt jealousy trying to get the better of her again. Despite all the ridiculous obstacles that had been put in Yang and Blake's way, they were still together. Their love seemed so natural that Weiss would've called it fate, if she believed in such things. It was so different from her relationship with Ruby. She felt like she'd had to struggle every step of the way to earn Ruby's love, but she would continue to struggle for as long as she had to. She wouldn't give up on something that she so dearly needed.

"Weiss," Winter's voice interrupted Weiss's thoughts.

Weiss slowly turned her head. She knew Winter wanted to talk with her, but she'd been dreading what her sister might say. Weiss steeled her resolve and said, "Yes, Winter?"

"Why did you come here?" Winter asked.

"You know why," Weiss said.

"No. I do not," Winter said.

"Stopping Cinder is important," Weiss said.

"I do not disagree," Winter said. "But this is not your battle to fight. I know you know this. You have a responsibility to the Family."

"And what responsibility is that?" Weiss asked. "To keep myself safe while you throw yourself into danger? To be a…replacement for you?"

"Frankly, yes," Winter said. "I have no choice. But you do."

"Why?" Weiss asked. "Why do you have no choice?"

"I should think the answer to that is obvious," Winter said.

Ruby suddenly spoke up. "It's the same reason why I don't have a choice. She's a Maiden."

"Precisely," Winter said.

Weiss said, "If Ruby doesn't have a choice, then neither do I."

"Oh?" Winter arched an eyebrow. "And pray tell why."

Weiss's stomach suddenly tied itself into knots. Her answer got caught in her throat. She respected Winter deeply, but Winter would never understand or approve of her relationship with Ruby. Weiss knew all too well what a mark of shame it would be in the eyes of her family. But as Weiss sat there thinking about it, her anxiety turned into anger. The world was falling apart, and there she was still walking on eggshells because of what was expected of her. She sat up straight and said, "I don't have a choice because Ruby is my girlfriend. I'm in love with her, and I'd follow her anywhere."

Winter was visibly taken aback. It wasn't something Weiss was accustom to seeing. Had the circumstances been different, she might have been proud of herself. Across the heater, both Yang's and Blake's full attentions were focused on her now. Even Ruby looked surprised.

Slowly and deliberately, Winter asked, "She is your girlfriend?"

Weiss said, "That's correct."

"Weiss…" Winter said. She actually seemed to be at a loss for words. "Father—"

"I don't care what Father might think, and I don't care what you think," Weiss said, even though the latter wasn't true. "I can't change how I feel. And even if I could, I wouldn't want to."

"Weiss, consider the family line," Winter said.

"If you really cared about that, why don't you have a husband yet?" Weiss asked pointedly. "I'm not the only one capable of producing children."

"I have my reasons," Winter said.

On a hunch, Weiss asked, "Is one of them that you were relying on me?"

Winter's silence was all the answer Weiss needed.

Weiss said, "So you have your own designs for me. Just like Father."

Hurt flashed in Winter's eyes. Weiss felt a pang of regret over what she'd just said, but it wasn't enough to make her take it back.

"Uh…" Ruby said hesitantly. "If it's kids everyone's worried about, couldn't either one of you, you know, adopt?"

The absurdity of Ruby's question almost made Weiss laugh. Adoption would never be an option for a family as concerned about good breeding as the Schnees. But the ridiculous idea had distracted Weiss enough to allow her to take a step back, emotionally speaking. She didn't want to fight with Winter, especially not right now.

"Winter," Weiss said. "I'm—"

"No," Winter interrupted. "You're right. And here, now, we have bigger things to worry about."

Ruby muttered, "Cinder."

Weiss could hear the apprehension in Ruby's voice. She debated with herself for just a moment before wrapping her arms around Ruby in a hug. Even after outing herself to Winter, Weiss's deeply ingrained sense of propriety bristled against the display of affection. But she desperately needed to do something, anything, to help Ruby find some calm in the storm they were caught up in.

"Weiss," Winter said. "I am…please you've found love."

Weiss almost did a double take. It wasn't Winter's approval, but it was more than she'd been expecting. "Thank you, Winter," she said.

After a moment of silence, Yang said, "So, uh…we should probably talk about what we're going to do when we run into Cinder."

Blake said, "We do have two Maidens to her one."

Ruby hung her head. "Maybe that'd matter if I could actually use my power."

"Ruby…" Weiss said.

Ruby's head suddenly snapped up. She looked at Winter and asked, "You're a Maiden, right? Maybe you could teach me!"

Winter's eyes turned down. "From what I have heard, I should be the one asking you to instruct me. I've never been able to access my power."

"Never?" Ruby asked. "Not even a little?"

"No," Winter said. "I'm not convinced Ozpin was correct about my status as a Maiden."

Qrow's voice suddenly called out, "He wasn't wrong."

Everyone turned their heads and saw that Qrow and Taiyang were walking back up. Taiyang immediately went for his dinner. Qrow, however, didn't seem to be interested in eating. He said to Winter, "You'd be able to use your power just fine if you'd ever take that stick out of your—"

"Qrow!" Taiyang said through a mouthful of food. "Language!"

Qrow rolled his eyes. He sighed and said, "Ozpin explained it a dozen times. Maiden powers aren't something logical or predictable. You can't study or analyze them. You have to let your feelings and your intuition guide you."

"Yes, yes," Winter said derisively as she stood. "I remember your attempts to 'train' me."

"It would have worked if you'd actually listened," Qrow said.

Ruby asked, "What about me, Uncle Qrow? Can you train me?"

Qrow looked down at Ruby. For just a moment, Weiss saw a glimmer of pity in his eye. "Sure, Kiddo," he said. "But you're not going to like it."

"Why's that?" Ruby asked.

"You've already used your power once," Qrow said. "The only guaranteed way I know for you to use it again is to make yourself feel exactly what you did the last time."

A look of dismay crossed Ruby's face. Weiss hugged her a little tighter.

Taiyang asked, "Is that really necessary, Qrow?"

"We were just talking about this, Tai," Qrow said.

"That doesn't mean I have to like it," Taiyang said in a sullen tone. He set his half-eaten dinner aside. Apparently, he wasn't hungry anymore.

Ruby said, "If that's the only way…."

Qrow said, "As you use your power more you'll be able to control it easier. But for now, strong emotions are the simplest way. Think of it like training wheels."

"Yeah, I guess," Ruby said. "Uncle Qrow? Back when…when I woke up on Patch. You told me I was a Silver-Eyed Warrior. Why not just tell me the truth?"

Qrow sighed. "I had to tell you something, Kiddo. I needed you to be brave, not scared. And I still need you to be brave. You're going to have to fight Cinder."

"Qrow!" Taiyang said.

"It's not what I want for her, Tai," Qrow said. "But life doesn't care about what you want."

"It's okay, Dad," Ruby said, "Fighting Cinder is what we came here to do. But Uncle Qrow, I thought you told Ironwood that you wanted me here so you could protect me."

"Yeah, I did," Qrow said. "But only you can protect you from Cinder."

Taiyang said, "Qrow, don't be so fatalistic."

"I'm being realistic," Qrow said. "Tai, you've known something like this was coming. You've known ever since Ruby inherited Summer's power."

Yang suddenly said, "So you did know, Dad. About Mom and Ruby being Maidens."

Taiyang looked guiltily at Yang. "Yeah. I did," he said.

"Why didn't you ever tell us?!" Yang asked.

"I wanted to," Taiyang said. "But how would I have explained it to you? Back when…Summer died you were both still so little. I guess I just never found the right time to bring it up."

Yang scowled. "Did Cinder have something to do with Mom's death?"

Qrow answered for Taiyang, "No she didn't. But it was someone like her. There's always someone like her lurking out there. It's why the Brotherhood was formed."

Weiss spoke up, "There's something I don't understand. Doesn't Cinder already have what she wants? She's the Fall Maiden. Why would she even need to come after Ruby?"

"Cinder isn't going to be content being just the Fall Maiden," Qrow said. "She wants all the Maidens' powers."

"All of them?" Winter interjected, sounding alarmed. "Surely that is not possible."

Qrow shrugged. "I wouldn't have thought it was possible to steal Amber's power the way Cinder did. Whether it's possible or not doesn't matter. Cinder thinks it is."

Yang muttered, "Neo wasn't lying after all."

"Neo?" Weiss asked. "What does she have to do with this?"

"Nothing," Yang said. "I just…I'd hoped she was wrong."

A silence settled over the makeshift campsite as the weight of the situation pressed down on everyone. Weiss felt ill. The two people she cared about most were being threatened by the most dangerous person on Remnant. She needed a plan—she always came up with a plan when things became too overwhelming to deal with—but she didn't even know where to begin.

"Ruby, I…" Weiss said.

"It's okay, Weiss," Ruby said. Weiss didn't believe her.

Suddenly, Winter's head turned. Weiss looked up and spotted General Ironwood approaching. She let go of Ruby and stood, and everyone else followed suit.

"Specialist Schnee," Ironwood said as he walked up. "I have a mission for you."

"Sir?" Winter asked.

"You are to keep yourself and Miss Rose safe. This will be your top priority."

"But wouldn't I be of more use combating Cinder Fall?" Winter asked.

"It may come to that," Ironwood said. "But until then, you have your orders."

"Yes sir," Winter said.

Weiss wanted to point out that Ironwood couldn't technically give Winter orders at the moment since his presence in Mistral was illegal. But this turn of events worked in her favor, so she kept her mouth shut. With Winter assigned to Ruby, Weiss would be able to keep an eye on both of them.

Ironwood continued, "My ship and the majority of my troops will stay here. We don't have the resources to protect all of Mistral, so our priority will be the capital and this school."

Qrow asked, "And what about you personally? Or are you not going to bother getting your hands dirty?"

Ironwood said, "I'm going to Kuchinashi to track down the Spring Maiden."

"I told you, there's not a chance she's there anymore," Qrow said. "And good luck figuring out where she's gone."

"I admit it's not likely we'll find her," Ironwood said. "But nevertheless, I have to try. It is my sworn duty as a member of the Brotherhood to keep the Maidens safe."

"I don't know if there even is a Brotherhood anymore without Oz," Qrow said. "And don't forget that this particular Maiden hates our guts. Even if you do find her, she's not going to accept your help."

"I haven't forgotten," Ironwood said. "It's a chance I'll have to take."

Qrow pulled out his flask. As he unscrewed the cap he said, "Tai, if Jimmy's serious about this, you should go with him."

"What!?" Taiyang said. "I can't just leave my girls behind!"

Qrow took a long drink. "You're not a member of the brotherhood," he said. "And unlike me or Ironwood or the Ice Queen, you're good with people. The Spring Maiden might actually listen to you."

"Well, that's true, but—" Taiyang said.

"You know you can't stop Cinder," Qrow said. "The Maidens are our best bet. And you're our best chance at getting the Spring Maiden on our side."

Taiyang did not look happy. Weiss didn't blame him. He said, "Yes, but—"

"Tai," Qrow said. "At some point you're going to have to let them stand on their own."

"That's just what I'd expect a Branwen to think," Taiyang said angrily.

"Maybe so," Qrow said. "But that doesn't make it wrong."

Yang glanced at Ruby, and the two sisters seemed to come to a silent agreement about something. Yang said, "We'll be okay, Dad. We're here to look after each other."

"Yeah," Ruby said. "Plus Weiss and Blake and Winter will all be with us!"

Taiyang sighed heavily. "Alright," he relented. He got down on a knee and held out his arms. "You'd better give your dad one more hug for the road then."

Ruby and Yang ran into Taiyang's arms. Weiss watched as the Rose-Xiao Long family embraced. Taiyang was so very different from her father. Weiss still didn't know what to make of him. Was he an anomaly or was he what a father was really supposed to be?

"I love you, girls," Taiyang said. Then he let them go and stood. "Alright, Ironwood. I'm ready. But if we don't find any clues to follow in Kuchinashi, I'm coming right back for my daughters."

"Understood," Ironwood said. "Are you sure accompanying me is what you want to do?"

"No," Taiyang said. "So let's go before I change my mind."

"Very well," Ironwood said. He turned to Winter. "Specialist?"

"Yes, Sir?"

"Good luck."

"Thank you, Sir."

Everyone watched Taiyang and Ironwood leave. Weiss could feel Ruby's anxiety growing, so she put her hand on Ruby's shoulder. She didn't know if such a small gesture was of any comfort, but it felt like the right thing to do.

After a moment, Yang asked, "Well now what?"

"I don't know about you," Qrow said. "But I'm going to go find the Spring Maiden.

* * *

PART III

It had grown uncomfortably quiet around where Team RWBY, Winter, and Qrow had gathered. Weiss could feel the tension sitting heavy in the air, and this time Taiyang wasn't there to alleviate it. Winter was looking at Qrow suspiciously. She asked, "You know the location of the Spring Maiden?"

"No," Qrow said. "But I know someone who might."

"Why didn't you tell the General this?" Winter asked.

"Because my contact hates people like Ironwood even more than the Spring…" Qrow sighed. "Even more than Lily does."

Winter's eyes narrowed. "Is that the only reason?" she asked.

"What? You think I sent Ironwood off on a wild goose chase?" Qrow asked.

"I would not put such a thing past you," Winter said.

"If I'd done that, I wouldn't've told Tai to go with him," Qrow said.

Ruby chimed in, "Well, Uncle Qrow, if you're going to find the Spring Maiden then we're coming with you."

"That's not a good idea," Qrow said. For some reason, he glanced at Yang, not Ruby.

Weiss said, "If Cinder is after the Maidens, our primary mission should be to keep them all safe."

"Yeah," Yang said. "We didn't come here to sit around doing nothing."

Qrow was still looking at Yang. He said, "You might not like what you find out there on the road."

"Uncle Qrow," Yang said. "We've been through a lot. We can handle it."

"Alright," Qrow said. "But don't say I didn't warn you."

Ruby said, "Aw come on, Uncle Qrow. It'll be fun going on a mission with you!"

"Not as fun as you'd think," Qrow muttered. Then he said, "And we can't travel together, so get that out of your head right now."

"But, why not?" Ruby asked, sounding disappointed.

"Don't you know that crows are bad luck?" Qrow asked.

Ruby pouted at her uncle.

Qrow chuckled. He said, "Just trust me, Kiddo. It's safer for you this way. If you really want to help look for Lily, head to Asagao. I'll keep an eye out for you."

Before Ruby could argue, Qrow hunched over. His body began to shrink and distort until he was wearing the form of a bird. He took off into the night sky and quickly vanished, a shadow of black on black.

Blake asked, "How does your uncle do that? I've never heard of a semblance like that."

Yang shrugged. "I don't know. He won't tell us. All I know is it's not his semblance."

Ruby said, "Well you heard Uncle Qrow, everyone. We're heading to Asagao!"

There was a pause. No one moved.

Ruby sheepishly asked, "Does anyone know how to get to Asagao?"

Weiss shook her head. "Your uncle didn't give us directions on purpose, didn't he?"

"What? No," Ruby scoffed. Then she said, "Actually, maybe."

Winter spoke up. "I'm not convinced this is the correct course of action. But…I do know the way."

* * *

The road to Asagao turned out to be a long one that wound through the mountains of Mistral. Team RWBY and Winter hadn't traveled for very long before they'd agreed that it was far too dark to safely navigate the terrain and had decided to bed down for the night. Fortunately, before they'd left Winter had once again used her military rank to procure all the camping equipment they'd need, including backpacks to carry it all in.

Weiss was lying by herself in a small tent. Despite the late hour, she was wide awake. She knew she needed to get some sleep, but her mind refused to be still. Months ago, when the semester at Beacon had begun, she would never have imagined that before long she'd find herself in Mistral, fighting against a fairy tale myth. That fateful day Cinder had attacked Beacon, every plan that Weiss had ever made about her future had been completely upended.

Weiss sighed. She admitted to herself that even before things had gone all wrong, her life had already been heading off in unforeseen directions. Ruby, Blake, and Yang had challenged everything she'd thought she'd known about herself and the world at large, intentionally or otherwise. But it wasn't until she'd been forced to return to Atlas that she'd realized just how huge an impact they'd had on her, Ruby most of all.

Weiss had known for years, at least subconsciously, that she could never be what Father wanted her to be. She couldn't take a husband and produce the next generation of Schnees. She'd done an admirable job of ignoring that little fact, naïvely believing that everything would sort itself out in time. But then Ruby had come into her life and ever so slowly stirred up feelings that she couldn't force back down, no matter how badly she had wanted to.

Ruby's words from earlier, about how she love Weiss, were still ringing in Weiss's ears. They had been like the sweetest nectar Weiss had ever tasted, but at the same time, they were a torment. This was Ruby. She could've easily meant that she loved Weiss as a friend or like a sister. Or she could have meant that she loved Weiss in the way Weiss loved her.

Weiss's restlessness finally got the better of her. She sat up and threw off her blanket. Then she slipped her boots back on and climbed out of her tent. The night air was freezing outside. Weiss knew she should go back inside her tent and grab her coat, but she stubbornly stayed put. She looked over at her companions' tents. There were only three of them. Yang and Blake hadn't bothered with the pretense of sleeping separately. They were spending the night together.

Much to Weiss's surprise, Winter hadn't batted an eye at Yang and Blake's nighttime arrangement. The fact that they were both women hadn't bothered her, but Weiss knew that Winter held her to a higher standard. Winter may have been open-minded, but Ruby was still a disappointment for her.

The wind picked up, chilling Weiss, but she didn't move from her spot. She looked longingly at Ruby's tent. She knew it had to be warm inside, far warmer than her own lonely tent, but her relationship with Ruby was still fragile. Ruby was finding herself, especially when it came to physical expressions of love. Ruby really seemed to enjoy hugs and holding hands, but Weiss could count the number of times they'd kissed on one hand. Ruby had always seemed to enjoy it, but Weiss was terrified of somehow inadvertently forcing herself on Ruby, even with so small a gesture.

Weiss felt her toes start to go numb. She wrapped her arms around herself as the wind kept blowing. One way or another, she needed to make a decision about where she was going to spend the night. Her expression hardened with resolve. She walked over to Ruby's tent and let herself inside.

Ruby was snoring away under her blanket. Weiss took a moment to watch. She felt like a despicable voyeur, but Ruby was just so irresistibly adorable that she couldn't look away.

The tent was too small to stand up in, so Weiss crawled over to Ruby's side.

Suddenly, Ruby snorted, and her eyes pried themselves open. "Wha…?" she said.

"It's…it's just me," Weiss whispered, afraid that Ruby was going to be alarmed by her presumptuous intrusion.

"Weiss?" Ruby asked sleepily. "What are you doing here?"

"I…" Weiss stammered. What could she say that wouldn't sound horrible? She settled on, "I was missing you."

Ruby looked confused. Weiss realized that she probably wasn't fully awake.

Weiss hesitantly asked, "Can…can I…stay here tonight?"

"You want to sleep with me?" Ruby asked.

Weiss panicked until she reminded herself that Ruby almost certainly didn't mean that in a sexual way. She forced herself to be calm, and said, "If that's okay."

Ruby yawned. "Sure," she said and turned over a corner of her blanket to let Weiss in.

Weiss gulped. She lifted the covers and crawled under them. Then she gingerly laid herself down so her back was to Ruby's.

Weiss's heart was pounding in her chest. She didn't know why she'd thought this would help her sleep. She wanted to flee back to the safety of her own tent, but she wasn't going to run away now. She'd never be able to explain herself to Ruby.

"Ruby," Weiss said softly, not even sure if Ruby was still awake. "I'm not making you uncomfortable, am I? This is okay, right?"

"Of course," Ruby said. "It's just like bunk beds, except better."

"Better…" Weiss whispered to herself.

Suddenly, Ruby rolled over. Her arms wrapped around Weiss, and she snuggled into Weiss's back. Weiss's anxiety shot up to new heights. For a moment, she thought she might die. But the feeling of Ruby lying next to her was absolutely heavenly. She decided that just this once, she was going to let herself enjoy the moment.

Ruby muttered, "You're so cold." Her arms tightened around Weiss.

"Not anymore," Weiss said. "Now that you're here."

"I love you, Weiss," Ruby said.

"Do you really?" Weiss asked.

"Yeah," Ruby said. She yawned sleepily. "It's like…butterflies in my stomach."

That was enough for Weiss to believe that Ruby wasn't talking about sisterly love. A tear rolled down her cheek. She'd never thought she'd experience a moment like this. No matter what the future might hold, she would treasure it forever.

Weiss whispered, "I love you too, Ruby."

* * *

"Up and at 'em, sleepyheads!" Yang's voice loudly rang out from outside the tent. "Ruby! Weiss! Blake! Wake up!"

Weiss's head shot up and bounced off the low, slanted walls of the tent. She was confused and disoriented, not quite recalling where she was or how she'd gotten there. But then a voice beside her mumbled something about strawberries.

Weiss looked down. Ruby was by her side. One of Ruby's arms was draped across her, although it had slid down to her lap when she'd sat up. Weiss's cheeks flushed as she remembered what had happened last night, but embarrassing though it was, waking up like this was filling her with a giddy joy.

"Come on, girls!" Yang shouted again. "Winter and I made breakfast! We're going to eat it all up if you don't hurry!"

Suddenly, Weiss's face drained of color. Winter and Yang were outside. She was going to have to walk out of Ruby's tent in front of Winter and Yang. Weiss looked around the small space in a panic, trying to find some avenue of escape.

Unfortunately, Ruby's eyes flew open and she bolted up into a sitting position. "Breakfast?!" she said. "Come on, Weiss! We can't miss breakfast!"

"Wait, Ruby! No!" Weiss said, but it was too late. Ruby grabbed her by the hand and pulled her out of the tent.

Outside, Winter and Yang were standing around a small, portable stove. Something was sizzling in a pan on top of it, but Weiss didn't have time to look and see what it might be. Yang and Winter were both staring at her. They'd noticed exactly whose tent she'd come from.

Yang's face flipped through a dozen different expressions. She finally settled on a hesitant but nonetheless proud smile. "Wow, Rubes," she said. "Way to go, lady-killer!"

Weiss would have vastly preferred Yang's disapproval. However, her bigger concern at the moment was Winter, who was doing a superb job of being inscrutable. Weiss said, "Winter, I, uh…."

Winter said, "There is no need to explain. Although, if you had informed us of your sleeping arrangements beforehand, it would have saved us the burden of carrying an extra tent."

Despite Winter's neutral tone, Weiss could still feel her sister's displeasure.

"Wait," Ruby said. "What is everyone talking about?"

Yang said, "Well you see Ruby, when two people love each other very much—"

"Yang! No!" Ruby said. "You got the wrong idea!"

"Suuure I do," Yang said.

The last tent's flap suddenly opened. Blake crawled out of it, still looking groggy from sleep. She yawned and plodded up to the group. But when she noticed the expressions on everyone's faces, she asked, "Okay. What happened?"

Yang grinned. Weiss could tell this was going to be a long day.

* * *

After breakfast, Team RWBY and Winter had broken camp, repacked their backpacks, and headed out for the day. Even in winter, Mistral was a beautiful kingdom. Now that it was day, the snow-covered mountains, frozen rivers, and frosted evergreen trees made for a spectacular tableau. Weiss might have been able to appreciate it too, if Yang hadn't been making not-so-subtle comments every ten minutes or so about her and Ruby's supposed nighttime proclivities. The comments were flying right over Ruby's head, but Weiss knew Yang didn't care about that. Yang's needling was being directed solely at her.

"Now, Ruby," Yang said, making Weiss cringe. "You and I need to have an important talk soon."

"You said that earlier," Ruby replied. "A talk about what?"

"See, that's why we need to have one," Yang said.

Weiss said, "For the last time! We didn't do anything!"

"Maybe not yet," Yang said. "Buuut…well, you know."

Weiss scowled, but she didn't say anything more. She knew it didn't matter what kind of response she gave to Yang. It would just egg her on.

As bad as Yang was being, Weiss was still far more agitated by the fact that Winter hadn't said much of anything. It had Weiss worried.

Winter was walking ahead of the group, so Weiss jogged to catch up with her. "Winter," she said. "I'm sorry. I should have told you about me and Ruby sooner."

"Given my reaction, I can hardly begrudge your reluctance," Winter said.

"I know you don't approve," Weiss said. "And…and you're right."

Winter looked at Weiss. "Do you truly believe that?" she asked.

Weiss thought about it for a moment. Then she said, "No. I don't."

"Good," Winter said. "If you did, I would be right to disapprove."

Weiss struggled for something more to say, to find some way to convince Winter that her relationship with Ruby was a good one. But before Weiss could find the right words, Winter said, "Ruby Rose is an interesting individual."

"Yes she is," Weiss said.

"Do you love her? Truly?" Winter asked.

"I do," Weiss said.

"Then…I do not disapprove of you courting her," Winter said.

"You don't?" Weiss asked.

"You sound surprised," Winter said.

"Well, yes, but—" Weiss said.

"I can't blame you," Winter said. "I have not been pleased with my response to your new arrangement with Ms. Rose."

"What do you mean?" Weiss asked.

"My choice to join the military met with scorn from Father and others," Winter said. "They believed I was being derelict in my duties to the Family. Yesterday, I had that same reaction when I learned of your relationship to Miss Rose. I see now that I have been neglectful of my familial responsibilities. And I was using you to justify my decisions to myself."

"Winter!" Weiss said. "No one cares more about the good of the Family than you!"

"I'm not certain that is true," Winter said.

"Even if it isn't, it's not right that Father or anyone should dictate the course of your entire life," Weiss said.

"Precisely," Winter said.

Weiss lowered her head. "I'm sorry for what I said. About you having designs for me. It's not true."

"But it is true, or rather, it was," Winter said. "Nevertheless, I hold no claim to your future. And I have seen that Miss Rose possesses a rare moral fortitude and a strong sense of loyalty. How could I not approve?"

Weiss let out a long breath. "Thank you, Winter," she said. She felt a great burden lighten on her shoulders, if only just a little.

Behind Weiss, Yang suddenly said, "Is something wrong, Blake?"

Blake said, "I heard something."

Weiss glanced over her shoulder. The group was walking on a relatively flat stretch of road. There were few places that some threat could be hiding. Blake, however, was looking up into the sky.

Yang, who was looking up too, said, "I don't see anything."

"Neither do I," Blake said.

Yang asked, "Do you think someone is following us?"

Ruby said, "It could be Uncle Qrow. He said he'd keep an eye out for us."

"Maybe that's it," Blake said. She didn't sound like she was convinced, but she gave up her search for whatever it was she'd heard. Changing the subject, she said, "I've been meaning to ask something. Does anyone actually know anything about the Spring Maiden? I think Qrow called her Lily?"

Winter said, "Yes. Her name is Lily Vesna, according to the dossier General Ironwood provided for me."

"It sounds like she has some history with that brotherhood Qrow and Ironwood are a part of," Blake said.

"I wouldn't be privy to that information," Winter said, "I do know that Ms. Vesna is a native of Mistral, and—"

Blake's ears twitched under her bow. "Look out!" she shouted.

Weiss heard it too, a whooshing of air. Everyone sprung out of the way as a gargantuan nevermore, even bigger than the one Team RWBY had fought in the Emerald Forest, swooped down. Its razor-sharp talons stabbed into the ground as it landed. The great beast flapped its mighty wings and spat something out of its mouth.

In an instant, everyone had shed their backpacks and had drawn their weapons. But the nevermore didn't attack. It just stood there menacingly.

Suddenly, whatever the nevermore had been carrying in its mouth began to move. It appeared to be a small bird, but then it shifted and grew until it became a man.

"Uncle Qrow!" Ruby cried out.

Qrow was bruised and bleeding. He feebly said, "Run. Everyone, run."

It was too late. Up in the sky there was a flash of crimson, and the smell of ash filled the air. Weiss felt a chill creep down her spine. Slowly, she raised her head.

Cinder, the Fall Maiden, was descending toward them, radiating a power that didn't belong to her. The smile on her face was so sinister that it made Weiss's blood run cold. Like Yang, Cinder was dressed with complete disregard for the weather. She had on a blood-red qipao, a garment Mistralian goddesses were often depicted wearing. Weiss knew that was no coincidence.

Cinder landed on her feet as light as a feather next to the nevermore. She stroked its beak affectionately, like it was some sort of pet. Then the creature flapped its massive wings and took off back into the sky.

"Don't look so surprised to see me," Cinder said in her sickeningly smooth voice. "I would have found you sooner or later. This is my destiny." She opened her hand, and a fire sprung to life in it. "It's just a shame none of you will live to see it."

* * *

PART IV

Unnatural power burned in Cinder's eyes, mirroring the flame in her hand as it grew brighter. She turned her palm outward and pointed it directly at Ruby.

Weiss rushed to Ruby's side in a heartbeat, heedless of the danger she was putting herself in. She thrust her fingers forward and conjured up a white glyph to block Cinder's attack. She didn't know if her semblance stood any chance against the power of a Maiden, but she had to try.

Cinder's flame leaped off of her palm and streaked through the air toward Weiss and Ruby. Weiss braced herself.

Cinder's flame never hit its mark. Before it had even covered half the distance, something intercepted it, and it exploded with alarming force.

The smoke from the explosion slowly cleared. Weiss lowered her hand, and her glyph vanished. Standing in Cinder's way was Qrow. Weiss was amazed. She'd thought Qrow had been far too injured to get up, much less fight, but there he was. His aura had already been depleted, but his sword was dug into the ground, and he was using it as a makeshift shield. It had taken the brunt of Cinder's attack, but there were still fresh scorch marks on Qrow's clothing.

"You again," Cinder said in an amused tone. "You just don't know when to give up, do you?"

"You're damn right I don't!" Qrow said. He pulled his sword from the ground. Gears on it began to spin, and it unfolded into the shape of a scythe. "Now get away from my niece."

Cinder gave Qrow a smile that was positively dripping with callous cruelty. She said, "You're welcome to try to stop me."

Qrow sneered. He lunged at Cinder, and his scythe sliced through the air. Its razor-sharp blade plunged for Cinder's neck. Qrow let out a yell as his scythe hit home.

Cinder hadn't even bothered dodging. For just a moment, Weiss dared to hope that the battle had ended before it had even begun. But Qrow's scythe had just stopped dead against Cinder's neck, foiled by her aura and the Fall Maiden's power.

Cinder cocked her head to the side. "Did you honestly think that would do any good?" she asked. "I've had months to master my power."

Qrow gritted his teeth. He leaned into his scythe and brought all his strength to bear, desperately trying to make it through Cinder's defenses. But it was all in vain. When Cinder tired of the charade, she spun around lightning quick and delivered an inhumanly powerful kick to Qrow's chest.

Qrow's feet left the ground. He seemed to hang in the air for a moment, but then he rocketed backward like a bullet shot from a gun. He crashed head-first into the ground some distance away.

"Uncle Qrow!" Ruby cried out.

Weiss saw anger flare in Ruby's eyes. It was so intense that they almost seemed to glow with a faint, silver light. Before Ruby could do anything foolish, Weiss said, "Wait, Ruby! We need a plan!"

"We don't have time for a plan!" Ruby said.

"Weiss," Winter's voice calmly interrupted. "Can your team buy me some time?"

Weiss glanced at her sister. Winter had a look of steady determination on her face.

"Yes we can," Weiss said. "Right, Ruby?"

"Right," Ruby said. She looked at Yang and Blake. "Be ready to follow in behind us."

"You got it," Yang said.

Ruby turned back to Weiss and said, "White Rose."

Ruby took off with incredible speed. Weiss summoned up a glyph underneath her feet and propelled herself after Ruby. White Rose was supposed to be similar to Ruby and Blake's Ladybug attack, where they rapidly struck from multiple angles. Weiss and Ruby had practiced the maneuver many times, but this time Weiss was having difficulty keeping pace with Ruby. Somehow, Ruby was pushing her semblance beyond its normal limits.

Cinder stood there confidently as an indistinct red blur zoomed toward her. Just as Weiss saw the glint of Crescent Rose's blade whirling to attack, Cinder brought her hand up and landed a vicious backhanded strike on Ruby.

Ruby went sideways. She'd been completely unprepared for Cinder to actually hit her at such speeds, and now she was dangerously vulnerable. Cinder didn't waste any time. She kicked Ruby solidly in her gut, sending her arcing upward. Then she lifted her palm and blasted Ruby midair with a massive fireball.

A nauseating feeling churned in Weiss's guts as she saw Ruby sail over her head, still smoldering from Cinder's attack. Behind her, Weiss could hear Yang's alarmed cry. Every fiber in Weiss's being screamed at her to turn around and make sure that Ruby was okay, but she was too close to Cinder now. Giving her such an easy opening would be disastrous.

Weiss flicked Myrtenaster's barrel over to the red Dust chamber. She squeezed the trigger and held it down, letting more and more power flow into her sword. She didn't let go until Myrtenaster's blade was glowing so hot that it was in danger of melting. Weiss knew there was no way she could keep up a sustained fight with Cinder, so she was going to make every hit count.

Weiss pushed her glyph forward as fast as it would go. The landscaped whizzed by her in a blur. She thrust her sword at Cinder and struck for all she was worth.

A maelstrom of fire erupted from Myrtenaster. The explosion was so intense that it actually knocked Weiss aside. She stumbled a bit, but she managed to stay on her feet.

Weiss raised her guard again. The oversized blast from her sword had tipped Cinder off balance enough to force her to take a step backward. Weiss knew Cinder wasn't invincible, but it was reassuring to see evidence of that. However, Weiss's confidence fled the moment Cinder's gaze fell on her. Cinder's eyes made a primal fear well up in her. She felt like she was staring into a hellish abyss.

Cinder swooped after Weiss. Thinking quickly, Weiss raised her hand, and a white glyph sprung to life in between the two of them. Cinder's blow made the glyph waver. Weiss could feel her semblance straining as it struggled to keep the glyph intact.

Cinder struck again and again. Weiss raised her other hand, pumping more and more energy into the glyph to keep it from dissipating. She was stuck now. If she let the glyph fail, Cinder's next hit would land on her. But maintaining the glyph was rapidly taxing the limits of her endurance. She didn't know what to do.

Suddenly, there was a pause in Cinder's assault, but Weiss didn't even get the chance to catch her breath. A fireball collided with her glyph and exploded. The glyph was instantly destroyed, and Weiss was blown off her feet.

Weiss spun head over heels. For a brief instant, she heard the roar of a second fireball that had been lobbed at her. She felt the heat coming off of it a split second before it struck home.

The force of the blast drove Weiss hard into the ground. Her aura struggled to do anything to protect her. Over the course of her training as a huntress, she'd been struck dead-on by Nora's hammer and had experienced blows from Yang at her strongest. But nothing compared to the hit she'd just taken. Cinder was playing on a level far beyond anything Weiss had ever faced.

Weiss's whole body ached, but she knew she needed to get back on her feet. She needed to be able to defend herself or Cinder's next strike might very well kill her.

Weiss managed to lift her head up in time to see Yang and Blake speeding toward Cinder. Yang's fist struck Cinder cleanly across the jaw. There was a boom as Ember Celica fired off a blast at point-blank range. Even though Yang hadn't been hit yet, her eyes were already red. Weiss knew Yang's emotions could fuel her semblance. She hoped that seeing Cinder hurt Ruby had given Yang a huge boost. It was the only way Yang stood a chance.

Cinder's foot came rushing for Yang's head in a vicious counterattack, but Blake pushed Yang out of the way. The kick struck Blake hard, but then she, or rather her clone, vanished, catching Cinder by surprise. Yang took advantage of the opening and hit Cinder again. There was enough power behind her punch to actually make Cinder flinch.

Yang's fists kept flying at Cinder as she punched her for all she was worth, while Blake's clones danced in between the two, hampering Cinder's efforts to defend herself. The smile had faded from Cinder's face. The repeated hits from Yang were at least wearing on her patience if nothing else.

Suddenly, Cinder clenched her fists, and blades made from ash spontaneously formed in them. She swung and cut clean through one of Blake's clones, hitting Yang on the other side with enough force to make her stagger. Cinder slashed violently at Yang over and over again, not giving her a chance to recover. Blake tried to intervene, but her clones were being sliced up as fast as she could create them.

Yang raised her gauntlets in an effort to defend herself, but Cinder was too quick. The ashen blades whittled away at Yang's aura a sliver at a time. Then Cinder leaped forward and delivered a devastating sidekick straight into Yang's gut. Yang was sent flying helplessly through the air.

Blake and her clones were on Cinder in an instant. Gambol shroud and its sheath clashed with Cinder's blades. Blake's expression was locked into one of intense concentration as she pushed her semblance to its absolute limit. Cinder looked no less focused. Her blades became a blur. In the space of seconds, dozens of Blakes sprung into existence and were just as quickly cut down.

Weiss knew she needed to do something and fast. It took a great deal of effort, but she pushed herself back to her feet. She raised her hand. She didn't know if she had the energy to summon after already straining her semblance against Cinder, but she was out of options. Weiss conjured up a glyph, but it fizzled within seconds. Despite all her hours of practice, she still hadn't mastered her ability to summon yet.

Weiss's eyebrows knitted together as she tried again. She wasn't willing to let her ineptitude cost Blake her life. Her second glyph managed to stabilize. It spun in the air for a moment, and then a boarbatusk stepped through.

"Go," Weiss said to her summoned grimm, breathing heavily from the effort.

The boarbatusk reared in Cinder's direction. It clomped its hooves against the ground a few times, and then it charged toward its target.

Cinder's eyes flicked in the direction of the boarbatusk rushing toward her, but rather than look concerned, her sinister smile returned. She let go of her blades and they dissolved back into thin air. Then she opened both of her hands, and fire sprung to life in her palms.

Blake took advantage of Cinder's lowered defenses and attacked with impunity. The edges of her sword and sheath gleamed as they slashed at Cinder, but they couldn't seem to pierce Cinder's aura.

Suddenly, Cinder clapped her hands together. A massive wave of fire exploded outward from them. Weiss was forced to shield her eyes from the blinding flash. The blast obliterated her boarbatusk and Blake's clones.

Weiss's heart sank when she heard Blake, the real Blake, cry out in agony as she took the full force of Cinder's attack. Weiss lowered her hand from her eyes and saw Blake skid to a stop on the ground. She didn't get back up.

Weiss raised her sword, but a hand fell on her shoulder. She looked up and saw Winter standing there.

Winter said, "No, Weiss. You and your team have done your part. Now it is my turn."

"Winter!" Weiss said. "You can't beat her alone!"

"I won't be fighting alone," Winter said.

A glowing, white beowolf walked up from behind and stood by Winter's side. Weiss looked over her shoulder. There were ghostly grimm of every shape and size massing behind her, dozens upon dozens of them. Winter must have been summoning them nonstop since the fight had begun.

"Winter…" Weiss said. "Be careful."

Winter nodded solemnly. She started marching toward where Cinder was patiently waiting.

Winter stopped a few feet away from Cinder. She clasped her hands behind her back and stood with the poise of a general surveying a battlefield.

Cinder said, "I've been looking forward to meeting you."

"I cannot say the same. Fortunately, this will be over quickly," Winter said. She made a small gesture, and her assembled army of grimm charged forward. Beowolves and boarbatusks, nevermores and beringles all descended upon Cinder like an unstoppable flood. Talon and claw met fire and ash as a battle like no other was joined.

Winter drew her saber. She flicked a switch that ejected its smaller companion into her waiting hand. She took a moment to energize her swords with the Dust stored in their hilts. A frigid layer of ice coated the larger blade, and a crackle of electricity began to dance across the smaller.

A few feet away, the weight of numbers was pressing down on Cinder. With so many summoned grimm, not even the Fall Maiden could keep them all at bay. But Cinder was still holding her own. One by one she was whittling away at Winter's army.

Winter carefully studied the situation. When she sensed the moment was right, she lunged into the fray.

Weiss's heart was in her throat as she watched Winter do battle against Cinder. She desperately wanted to help, but with all the summoned grimm surrounding Cinder, Weiss wasn't sure there was even a place for her to stand.

Suddenly, a voice from behind asked Weiss, "Are we winning?"

Weiss spun around. Ruby and Yang were standing there. They both looked worse for wear. Ruby was covered in soot and dirt, and Yang had an arm draped across Ruby's shoulders so Ruby could help prop her up.

"Ruby!" Weiss exclaimed. "Are you alright?!"

"I think so?" Ruby said. "It really, really hurts getting hit when I'm running super-fast. I don't even know how Cinder did it."

Yang asked, "Where's Blake?"

Weiss's lips pressed together. She pointed to where Blake was still lying motionless on the ground.

"Blake!" Yang shouted. She tried to run to her, but she only managed to stumble to her hands and knees.

Ruby said, "Yang! Stay here! I'll get her."

Ruby sped off. She appeared again a moment later with Blake in her arms. She managed to set Blake down without dropping her, but then she half-fell to the ground herself, winded from the exertion.

"Blake!" Yang cried out. "Blake, please be okay!"

Yang crawled over to Blake. There were tears in her eyes as she desperately clutched at Blake's coat, searching for a sign of life.

"Blake! No! Don't do this to me!" Yang said. She shook Blake, trying to get some reaction from her.

Weiss said, "Yang! Stop! You'll injure her further!"

"Blake!" Yang wailed. Her head fell on Blake's chest, and her body shook as she sobbed.

Suddenly, Blake drew in a rattling breath.

Yang's head shot up. Desperate hope shone in her eyes.

Blake's hand slowly lifted off the ground. It found some strands of Yang's hair and weakly grasped at them.

Yang clasped Blake's hand and pulled it in close to her as indescribable relief and unbearable worry flooded her face. She said, "Blake, you're going to be okay."

Powerful emotions bombarded Weiss as she watched Yang. Despite Yang's insistence, she wasn't sure that Blake really would be okay. However, she knew she couldn't worry about that right now. She looked over to where Winter and Cinder were fighting. Winter's army of grimm had been decimated. There were only a few stragglers left now. Cinder actually looked a little worn down, but her power was far from depleted. Her aura still glowed strongly as she used her open hands to parry Winter's swords.

"Yang," Weiss said. "This isn't over yet."

Yang's expression hardened. She leaned forward and kissed Blake. Then she said, "Ruby, can you get Blake somewhere safe?"

"I can try," Ruby said.

"Do it," Yang said. "See if you can get Uncle Qrow out of here too while you're at it."

"Right," Ruby said. She slipped her arms underneath Blake and lifted her up. The load was obviously a strain on her, but she gritted her teeth and called upon her semblance once again. She vanished, leaving a few errant rose petals in her wake.

Yang struggled to her feet. She looked at the deadly duel still raging between Winter and Cinder. Then she turned to Weiss and asked, "Fire and Ice?"

"Do you think you can handle it?" Weiss asked.

"Cinder hurt Blake," Yang said. She slammed her fists together and visibly willed her semblance to reignite. Fire engulfed her mane of hair, and her eyes turned red again. "I can handle it."

Weiss flicked Myrtenaster over to the cyan Dust chamber. "Then so can I," she said.

Yang took a deep breath to ready herself. Then she crouched low and started charging for Cinder. At the same time, Weiss conjured up a glyph underneath her feet and let it carry her forward. Then she swung around on it toward Cinder's flank. If she and Yang pulled off the maneuver like they intended, they'd both hit Cinder simultaneously from opposite sides.

As Weiss sped toward Cinder, the last of Winter's grimm fell. The situation was growing desperate. Weiss knew that if they didn't find some way to defeat Cinder soon, they never would. She squeezed her sword's trigger and let an icy sheen envelop it.

Weiss's sword hummed with the power of Nature's Wrath as she closed in on Cinder, and opposite her, a trail of fire rolled off of Yang as she did the same. They converged on their target, ready to unleash their fury.

Weiss saw the wicked glint in Cinder's eye too late. Just as she and Yang were about to strike, Cinder threw her open palms outward toward them. The power of the Fall Maiden surged through her. A wave of fire blasted out at Weiss, and a stream of ice flew toward Yang.

There wasn't time for Weiss to contemplate what was happening. Twin explosions of clashing elements bloomed, and Weiss found herself soaring backward. She collided with the ground. Her aura flickered momentarily before collapsing completely.

Weiss vaguely heard the sound of Winter calling out her name over the throbbing in her head. She felt herself brush up against the edge of unconsciousness, but through sheer force of will, she kept herself awake.

Weiss put her hands firmly on the ground and managed to pry herself up enough to see what was going on. She had no idea what had happened to Yang, but it wasn't Yang that she was most concerned about. Her vision was blurry, but she could see Winter still struggling to bring Cinder down.

Winter struck, ice twinkling and electricity surging on her swords, but Cinder suddenly caught the blades barehanded. The Dust empowering them pitted itself against Cinder's aura, but it wasn't enough to make her let go.

Winter struggled to free her weapons, but it was no use. In the space of a heartbeat, Cinder lashed out with a vicious kick to Winter's head. The force of the blow loosened Winter's grip, and Cinder ripped her swords from her hands. Winter was caught completely off-guard and off-balance, and one more kick from Cinder sent her to the ground.

"Is that really the best you can do?" Cinder asked. She held up Winter's swords and channeled her power into them. They began to glow red-hot. Then with a squeeze of Cinder's hands, the swords broke into pieces.

Cinder let the shattered fragments of metal slip from her grasp and fall to the ground. She looked down on Winter and said, "You're not worthy of the power of a Maiden. But don't worry. I'm about to correct that mistake."

Winter stood. She sneered defiantly as blood trickled from her lip. But disarmed and with her aura nearly gone, it was a hollow gesture.

Weiss struggled back to her feet again over the protests of her aching head. She had to save Winter. She had to stop Cinder. But she had no idea how.

Then Weiss saw it. Dust was spilling out from the hilts of Winter's broken swords onto the ground at Cinder's feet. Weiss raised Myrtenaster, but her hand was shaking so badly that she didn't know if she could hit such a small target.

A voice suddenly shouted, "Leave her alone!" From out of nowhere, Ruby zipped up to Winter's side, ready to defend her. Crescent Rose was in her hands, and its barrel was leveled at Cinder.

Cinder gave Ruby an amused smirk. She lifted a single finger and pointed it at Winter. Energy began to gather on its tip. Ruby pulled her rifle's trigger. She squeezed off a half-dozen shots, but they all bounced harmlessly off of Cinder's aura.

"Ruby…" Weiss tried to call out. She mustered her remaining strength and shouted, "Ruby! The Dust!"

Ruby's eyes flicked down to Cinder's feet. She instantly saw what Weiss was talking about. But Cinder glanced down as well. She actually looked alarmed for a moment before an enraged expression crossed her face. Her finger shifted away from Winter, and she aimed at Ruby.

Ruby fired Crescent Rose. Simultaneously, a thin bolt of energy leaped off of Cinder's finger. The bolt struck Ruby square in the chest. She cried out in pain as she was knocked off her feet, but it was too late for Cinder. Ruby's shot struck true. The Dust at Cinder's feet erupted into a cacophony of lightning and an avalanche of ice. The two elements intertwined, the ice vaporized, and Cinder was consumed by a miniature thunderstorm.

Weiss lifted Myrtenaster's hilt to her chin. It took everything she had, but she conjured up one last white glyph and slid on it toward the storm cloud that had enveloped Cinder.

Winter called out, "Weiss! No!" But Weiss was already committed to her attack.

Just as Weiss closed the distance, a chain made of ash whipped out from the mist of vaporized ice and coiled itself around Myrtenaster. Weiss's sword was ripped from her hand. Then a second chain lashed out and wrapped around her body.

Weiss yelped in alarm as her feet were torn from her glyph. She lost her bearing as she was pulled into the mist, unable to see a thing.

Suddenly, Weiss came to an abrupt stop as a crushing hand squeezed around her throat. A gust of wind, conjured up by the Fall Maiden's power, blew the mist away. Weiss found herself caught in Cinder's iron grip as Cinder held her aloft by the neck. Her feet kicked helplessly in the air as she struggled to breathe. Cinder's expression had turned murderous. She hadn't weathered the Dust explosion unscathed, and she was not pleased about that fact.

"Foolish little girl!" Cinder said. "I'm going to show you what happens when you try to fight destiny." She held up her finger. Energy once again gathered on its tip. Weiss could feel the searing heat rolling off of it.

Cinder said, "Let's see what you look like on the inside."

Weiss struggled with everything she had left, but she knew this was the end for her. But then a voice rang out, "You will leave her be!"

Both Weiss and Cinder turned their heads. They saw Winter standing tall. Her eyes were glowing white, and power was emanating from her body, making the air around her thrum.

Weiss was awestruck. Ozpin had been right. Winter was a Maiden after all.

A terrifying smile crossed Cinder's face. "Finally," she said, and she tossed Weiss aside like a child might a toy that no longer held their interest.

Weiss tried to catch herself as she hit the ground yet again, but she was too weakened from the beating she'd already taken to manage even that. With her aura gone, she felt every impact as she tumbled across the rocks and frozen dirt.

Weiss came to a stop, battered and bruised, but miraculously, nothing was broken. She sucked in a lungful of air now that Cinder's hand was no longer crushing her windpipe. Getting back to her feet was too daunting a prospect at the moment, so she just lay there breathing.

Suddenly, a hand appeared in front of Weiss. She looked up and saw Yang standing over her. The fire in Yang was gone. Whatever energy her semblance had given her was spent. She was still on her feet, but only just.

Weiss took Yang's offered hand and let Yang pull her up. They both leaned on each other for support, silently pinning their hopes on Winter.

Behind Winter, a glyph sprung to life. It was gigantic and impossibly intricate. Its energy pulsed in time with Winter's aura.

Rather than look worried, Cinder calmly lifted her hands. Ash gathered in them, taking the form of a bow and arrow. She pulled back on the bowstring and took aim at Winter.

Suddenly, Winter's glyph grew blindingly bright. Piercing bolts of pure white light surged forth and flew toward Cinder.

Cinder released her arrow. Light and ash rushed to meet one another. Just before they collided, Cinder's arrow fractured into a hundred tiny pieces. One by one, the fragments intercepted Winter's bolts, making them explode in a brilliant bouquet of light.

Cinder came rushing in through the blinding display, bow still in hand. She slammed her shoulder into Winter, knocking her off her feet and sending her crashing into her own glyph. With Winter's concentration broken, the glyph vanished, but Winter herself sprung back up.

Cinder gripped her ashen bow in both hands and pulled it in half. The ash reformed into a pair of blades. Cinder immediately swung at Winter, forcing Winter to block barehanded. Fortunately, her newly revitalized aura was more than up to the task.

Cinder didn't let up. Her eyes had gone wild with fanatical determination now that the Winter Maiden had truly shown herself. She rained blows down with all the force of a rockslide, but Winter blocked each and every attack. She finally had the means to defend herself.

Winter suddenly thrust her hand forward. A white glyph sprung into existence right in Cinder's way. Cinder struck the glyph hard with both of her blades, but the ashen weapons shattered into tiny pieces against the unyielding barrier. Caught by surprise, Cinder hesitated for just an instant, but an instant was all that Winter needed. Her glyph turned red.

Cinder had just enough time to look alarmed before Winter's glyph exploded in her face.

Off to the side, Weiss and Yang were forced to turn away to prevent themselves from being blinded. When Weiss could safely look again, her spirits rallied. Cinder had actually been knocked to the ground.

Cinder quickly got back to her feet. There was a cold fury in her eyes now. She held out her open hands. Tiny particles of ash began to fall from them like sand. It was just a few flecks at first, but they quickly multiplied and multiplied until a veritable sandstorm was pouring from Cinder.

The cloud of ash suddenly took on a life of its own. Bits of it gathered together in jagged clumps no bigger than a thumbnail. Then they all flew toward Winter en masse, looking for all the world like an apocalyptic swarm of locus.

Winter dropped back on one foot. Dozens and dozens of tiny, white glyphs winked into existence in the air around her. The all began rapidly firing bolts of light at the cloud of ash closing in. Hundreds, thousands of Cinder's ersatz locus were vaporized in seconds.

For a moment, it looked like Winter might be able to hold off Cinder's ashen plague, but the scale of it was too great. The cloud enveloped Winter. One by one her glyphs were surrounded and consumed. Winter's aura shone brilliantly as the razor-sharp barbs of ash bit at her, but her light was quickly blotted out by the choking cloud.

As Weiss watched in abject horror, a muffled scream of agony came from the cloud. "Winter!" she shouted. She tried to run to her sister, but as soon as she let go of Yang, she stumbled to her knees.

Cinder closed her hands. She strolled forward, and the cloud of ash dissipated, revealing Winter once more. Winter was covered in cuts, and countless black streaks had turned her white coat gray. She was struggling to stand, but her eyes still held a spark of resistance.

Winter pointed her palm at Cinder, but nothing happened. It was already taking everything she had just to stay on her feet.

Cinder lifted her hands, and another bow and arrow formed in them. She pulled back on the bowstring. Her eyes locked with Winter's, and for a moment, everything was perfectly still.

Cinder's fingers slid from the string. The arrow flew swiftly through the air, a silent harbinger of Cinder's ascendancy, and lodged itself in Winter's heart.

Time seemed to stand still. A soft gasp escaped Winter. Her trembling hand started to reach for the ashen arrow protruding from her chest. But then she tilted forward and collapsed.

"NO!" Weiss shouted. She reached out for Winter as if she could somehow save her.

Suddenly, a second voice joined Weiss's, echoing her cry, and a new light erupted to life.

Weiss looked and saw that Ruby was back on her feet, and her eyes were glowing with a righteous power. The light in them overflowed. It gathered in front of Ruby and formed into a glowing ball. Then it launched itself straight for Cinder.

Cinder sneered. She threw her hands forward and caught the silver energy as it smashed into her. Her aura lit up, struggling to ward off the raw power pitted against it. The ground rumbled as Summer and Fall clashed. Cinder's feet dug into the ground and her teeth clenched as Ruby's attack pushed against her.

Cinder strained with all her might, and she managed to take a step forward. A crimson color started seeping into the silver light, and Cinder said, "Not. This. Time!"

With one last push on Cinder's part, the ball of light flew back toward Ruby.

"Ruby!" Weiss cried out, but it was too late. The silver light slammed into Ruby and an explosion of energy flew outward indiscriminately. Weiss stood paralyzed as the light rushed toward her. There was nowhere to run and nowhere to hide.

At the last moment, Yang threw herself in front of Weiss. The blast hit with incredible force. Even shielded behind Yang, Weiss was blown off her feet and knocked senseless.

Seconds later, Weiss came to. Her ears were ringing, and fresh pain was tormenting her, but she was alive. She hauled herself up into a sitting position. Her head swam as a wave of dizziness passed over her.

Weiss spotted Ruby and Winter lying on the ground ahead. She didn't know if either of them were alive. Her thoughts were still muddled from the blast, but she knew that she had to reach them somehow. Walking was beyond her at the moment, so she crawled forward.

Suddenly, Weiss saw Cinder sauntering toward Winter. Weiss tried to crawl faster, but Winter might as well have been on the other side of the planet. Weiss was forced to watch helplessly as Cinder kneeled down in front of her sister.

Cinder grabbed Winter by the chin and pulled her head up. Winter sucked in a pained breath. Her eyes opened, and they struggled to focus. Cinder's expression softened, and for just a moment, her air of malice vanished.

"Shh, shh, shh," Cinder said as she caressed Winter's cheek. "You fought well. But it's time for you to rest now."

Cinder let go, letting Winter's head fall limply to the ground. She stood, pulled out a glove, and slipped it on her hand.

Weiss feebly said, "No…stop…."

Just then, Yang ran past Weiss. Her hair was glowing brightly again, and the red was back in her eyes. In Weiss's debilitated state, she'd all but forgotten about Yang. Somehow, Yang had survived the blast of silver light, and it had given her semblance the boost she'd needed.

Cinder pointed her gloved palm toward Winter. She was so intently focused on her prize that she was oblivious to Yang's approach. A tiny creature appeared from Cinder's glove and leaped out toward Winter. Yang dove forward. She managed to intercept the creature just in time. It caught on her right arm and stuck there.

Cinder's eyes opened wide in surprise. But then she sneered at Yang. "How dare you!" she shouted.

Cinder clenched her fist. Yang suddenly screamed in anguish as Cinder's glove worked its nefarious purpose. The glow in Yang's hair began to fade, and a pale energy started flowing out of her. Weiss didn't know what was happening, but it almost looked like Cinder was draining Yang's aura.

Yang twisted and writhed in unbearable pain, but she managed to bring her trembling hand up and grasp her prosthetic. She twisted it sharply and pulled it free from her body.

Yang's prosthetic, still connected to Cinder's glove, fell to the ground with a thud.

"What?!" Cinder exclaimed.

The flow of energy from Yang had stopped, and suddenly, her hair lit up brighter than before. A blast from Ember Celica closed the small gap between her and Cinder, and her fist collided with Cinder's head.

Cinder reeled back as Yang's supercharged punch plowed into her.

"ENOUGH!" Yang bellowed. She battered Cinder over and over again with her only fist, all the while shouting, "Enough! Enough!"

Weiss wasn't paying any attention to the fearsome beating Cinder was receiving. She had to get to Winter. She crawled along painfully slowly, pushing herself every inch of the way until she finally reached her sister.

"Winter!" Weiss said. Winter looked deathly-pale and her eyes were closed. Blood was spilling from her wound and staining her coat.

"Weiss…" Winter whispered. Her eyes slowly opened. "Weiss. You're alive."

"Yes! Yes, Winter. I'm alive," Weiss said. She grabbed Winter's hand and held it tightly.

"Look at you," Winter said. "You're all grown up."

"Winter, please, don't try to talk," Weiss said. She didn't like the way Winter sounded.

"Weiss…" Winter said. "Weiss. You are the scion of the Schnee Family now. You must be the one to protect humanity's future."

"Don't say that, Winter!" Weiss said. "You're going to be okay."

"Weiss, I…" Winter said. Her breathing grew shallow, and her eyes closed. "Weiss…I love…."

"Winter?" Weiss's lips were trembling. Tears blurred her vision. "Winter?!"

Winter's final breath slipped from her, and her head rolled to the side. Her hand went cold in Weiss's grasp.

"No! Winter!" Weiss wail. "You can't! You can't do this!"

Suddenly, a white light shimmered over Winter's body. It gathered into a single spark and shot up into the sky. But Weiss was too distraught to care.

A few feet away, Cinder had Yang's fist caught in her hand, and the two were struggling to overpower one another. Yang gave it her all, but her semblance had been push far past its breaking point. Cinder finally gained the advantage and bent Yang's wrist backward, forcing Yang to her knees. Then Cinder delivered a devastating blow to Yang's solar plexus, pushing right through what was left of Yang's aura. The air was forced from Yang's lungs, and she collapsed gasping to the ground.

Cinder was breathing heavily. Despite her ambitions, she wasn't all-powerful yet. Now that she'd dealt with Yang, her attention turned to Winter and Weiss, but what she saw made her shout, "No!"

The spark that had flown out of Winter circled around in the air and dove straight for Weiss. Suddenly, Weiss felt a rush of energy wash over her. Some invisible force lifted her to her feet as new vitality filled her, chasing away her fatigue.

With just a thought, Weiss conjured up a summoning glyph in the air beside her. It was as effortless as breathing. It was like a light was shining inside of her, granting her clarity like she'd never known.

Cinder charged for Weiss, but a gargantuan armored fist shot out from Weiss's glyph and hit Cinder with a massive punch. Cinder spun through the air. But before she hit the ground, she used her power to slow herself until she gently touched back down. She turned back to face Weiss with a look of pure hate, but by then a twenty-foot-tall, glowing suit of living armor had already fully emerged from Weiss's glyph.

Weiss held her arms out wide and closed her eyes. Her summoned knight suddenly started to shrink. It walked up to Weiss and enveloped her body with its own. Then there was a flash.

Weiss opened her eyes. The knight was gone, but in its place, Weiss was encased in a suit of armor made of pure light. Weiss raised her hand and Myrtenaster flew into it from where the sword had been lying on the ground. An instant later, it too was sheathed in light.

Weiss lifted her blade. Her feet left the ground as she began to hover an inch up in the air. Then without warning, she literally flew straight for Cinder, faster than any of her glyphs could have carried her.

There was a sound like thunder as Weiss struck with her sword and Cinder parried with her open hands. The two of them were on even footing now, and neither of them were willing to give any quarter.

Weiss kept up her attack. But then she felt something, a tingling at the back of her head. It was like she had a new sense that her body didn't know how to interpret. But Weiss knew what it meant. She swung her sword at Cinder, and when Cinder went to block, Weiss kicked her with her armored foot.

The force of Weiss's kick made Cinder skid back a few feet. The blow hadn't done much damage, but that hadn't been the point. Right on cue, a bullet made of silver light struck Cinder from the side. Cinder cried out in shock and pain. Her head snapped in the direction the attack had come from, and for the first time since the battle had begun, she looked truly afraid.

Not far away, Ruby was standing there with Crescent Rose in hand. Silver energy was shining in her eyes again and dancing across her entire body. Strands of it were flowing down her arms and weaving themselves into her weapon.

Weiss didn't waste a second pressing the advantage. She raised her sword and swung it down toward Cinder's head. Cinder caught Weiss's blade in her hand, but Weiss didn't so much as blink. She began pumping energy directly into her sword. Cinder cringed as the blade began to bite deeper and deeper into her aura.

Over in Ruby's hands, the light flowing into Crescent Rose grew brighter. Ruby squeezed off shot after shot. Glowing bullets streaked from the barrel of Ruby's gun straight for Cinder.

Cinder raised her other hand to block Ruby's assault. Her feet began to dig into the ground and sweat beaded on her forehead as Weiss and Ruby pressed their relentless attack. Weiss could feel Cinder's aura weakening. Cinder's legs began to tremble, and she dropped to one knee.

Weiss doubled her efforts, and Ruby's shots continued to fly. Cinder bowed under the strain. But then her head flew up, and she shouted, "SALEM!"

There was a rush of air and the flapping of wings. Overhead, the giant nevermore that had accompanied Cinder dove toward the fray. The beast crashed down, and a pandemonium of sound filled the air. There were screams, screeches, weapons striking, and power roaring.

Then there was silence.

Weiss stood tall, her armor literally shining, and her sword in hand. The nevermore's lifeless body was already evaporating away. Up in the sky, Cinder was floating in the air, looking spiteful beyond measure.

Weiss's eyes met Cinder's. Had either of them had the ability, they would have struck the other dead in a heartbeat. But the battle was over, and they both knew it.

Without a word, Cinder flew away. It wasn't long before she'd vanished over the horizon.

"Weiss!" Ruby called out as she hobbled up. "Are you okay? Say something!"

Weiss let Myrtenaster slip from her hand. The sword fell to the ground, and the sheath of light surrounding it vanished. Weiss's armor likewise faded. She took a few steps forward and then fell to her knees.

"Winter," Weiss sobbed.

Ruby limped her way up to Weiss and threw her arms around her, but Weiss didn't even notice. All she could feel was the hole that had been torn out of her heart. Her nightmares had been made real, and she feared that worse was yet to come.

* * *

 _Author's Note: I did warn you._

 _So…speaking of those differences between this story and canon. There's not going to be any Oscar or anyone like him. Ozpin having a successor would complicate an already complicated story. Also in case it wasn't obvious, Cinder is not scarred or mute. I like Volume 4 Cinder, but she's not what I need for this story. Probably the biggest difference is that the Spring Maiden is not the same character as the canon Spring Maiden. You know, because I have no idea who the Spring Maiden is. Volume 4 had one job! I needed it to introduce the Spring Maiden so I could use her in this story! Way to go, Volume 4! I guess I'll have to improvise. =P_

 _I probably need to address the whole Ruby being the Summer Maiden vs. her being a Silver-Eyed Warrior, but it's not that complicated. I was convinced at the end of Volume 3 that Summer Rose was the previous Summer Maiden. In my mind that made Ruby the new Summer Maiden. It worked out well for this story for reasons that I can't talk about without getting into spoiler territory. But rest assured, I know her status in canon, even if I'm a bit perplexed by what a "Silver-Eyed Warrior" is even supposed to be. We'll see what Volume 5 has to say on the issue._

 _And since I'm not going to finish the next chapter before Volume 5 starts, I'll announce right now that I will be live blogging the new RWBY episodes just like I did during Volume 4. If that's of any interest to you, come join me on Sunday afternoons on my tumblr (electronicyarn) to hear my completely biased and unfounded opinions on Volume 5 as it unfolds._

 _As always, I welcome constructive criticism. Please feel free to leave a review. And if you like what you've read, taking the time to favorite and/or follow really helps me out. You can also find me on tumblr (electronicyarn) if you want to send me a message or be notified of updates._


	3. The Passing of Spring

_Author's Note: So Volume 5 comes out and finally mentions the Spring Maiden in episode 1. I'm happy it did, but the timing could have been better. =P_

 _Please keep in mind as you read this chapter that my Spring Maiden is definitely not the canon Spring Maiden._

* * *

 **Chapter 3: The Passing of Spring**

PART I

Firelight danced across Yang's face, but the roaring flames didn't seem to offer any warmth against the chilly night. Yang had a certain kinship with fire, thanks to her semblance. She understood fire's beauty and power, but the one burning in front of her, Winter's funeral pyre, was neither a thing of beauty nor awe.

Yang had never been to an Atlesian funeral before. Apparently, their custom of burning the dead had come from an ancient Mantlian tradition. Yang knew she should have told Weiss to just bury her sister. The fire was a clear signal to any grimm in the area, but Yang hadn't found it in herself to argue the point. Between Winter's death, what had happened to Blake, and the threat of Cinder looming over everything, Yang's ability to cope was rapidly being overwhelmed. A numbness had taken hold of her, and it didn't have anything to do with the cold.

To make matters even worse, there was also the fresh horror to consider that Cinder could apparently control the grimm. Yang had already known that Cinder was somehow working with the grimm, but seeing how she'd treated that nevermore, and seeing how it had come when she'd called for it, had really driven home just how deep the alliance ran. It was all too much for Yang.

Up ahead, Weiss was standing at the edge of the fire. She'd hardly said a word since the horrible events of that morning. Yang knew what Weiss was going through, and she knew what Weiss needed was time. Unfortunately, time was not something they had in abundance.

Ruby was standing beside Weiss. She'd been stealing glances at her here and there since the fire had been lit. Ruby had been too young to truly experience Summer's death, and Pyrrha's demise and even Penny's woeful fate had been muddled up among the countless other tragedies of Beacon's fall. But this, Winter's death and its effect on Weiss, was hitting Ruby hard in ways she didn't know how to handle. Yang wondered if she should say something to comfort her sister, but she was feeling so lost herself that she didn't know if she would be of any help.

The sound of snow crunching behind Yang drew her out of her morose thoughts. She glanced over her shoulder and saw Uncle Qrow hobbling up. He looked worse for wear, but after several hours' rest he was back on his feet. They had all taken a beating, but it wouldn't be long before everyone's auras would see to their recovery, physically at least.

Qrow said, "Hey, Kid. How're you doing?"

Yang didn't answer him.

"Yeah," Qrow said. "Me too."

Yang expected Qrow to go for his flask, but he didn't. His eyes had fallen onto Winter's pyre, and his expression was dangerously close to one of despair.

Yang asked, "How well did you know her?"

Qrow chuckled humorlessly. "She would say I knew her too well. But it doesn't really matter now."

Yang's instinct was to disagree with Qrow. She felt that who was left behind to remember Winter was more important now than ever, but she stayed silent.

Qrow said, "Winter's not the first…friend I've lost. I don't think she's going to be the last either."

"Does it ever get any easier?" Yang asked.

"No," Qrow said. He finally pulled out his flask.

"I'm sorry," Yang said.

"Don't feel sorry for me," Qrow said, taking a drink. He nodded his head in Weiss's direction. "Feel sorry for her. Oz always seemed to think that being a Maiden was some kind of blessing. But from what I've seen, it's nothing but a curse."

Yang subconsciously touched her prosthetic arm where that nightmarish creature from Cinder's glove had latched on. Beyond the unbelievable pain the thing had inflicted on her, there had been something far more deeply unsettling about it. Yang had felt herself dying. The thing had literally been sucking the life out of her, and she knew that was the fate Cinder had in mind for Ruby.

Minutes passed with only the crackling of the fire to keep the silence at bay. But then, Qrow asked, "Shouldn't you be checking up on someone?"

"Yeah. I just…" Yang trailed off.

"Don't bother explaining yourself to me," Qrow said. "I'm not the one who cares."

"If you don't care then why are you even out here?" Yang asked.

Qrow took another drink. Then he looked at his flask like he was contemplating something. Eventually, he said, "I don't know. Maybe it's just…bad luck."

Yang turned away from Qrow. She'd never seen him be so introspective before, and she didn't like it. But he was right about one thing. There was someone she needed to check on.

Yang walked away from the fire, toward the spot where all the supplies and equipment had been gathered. Blake was sitting there, exactly where Yang had left her. She was leaning up against the pile of backpacks. A blanket was draped over her for extra warmth.

Yang sat down on Blake's left and leaned back as well. She gazed up into the night sky. There was a break in the clouds, and she could see the stars twinkling overhead. Away from the city lights, the stars were unbelievably brilliant and incomprehensibly numerous. It was a breathtaking sight, but the wonder of it was lost on Yang. All she felt was her own insignificance.

Time dragged by. Yang wanted to say something, anything, to Blake, but no words came. It was like they were all jammed up inside of her, not unlike her feelings. As Yang sat there she tried to summon up some emotion, be it sorrow, anger, relief, or even rage, but to no avail. The best she could manage at the moment was to simply exist.

Eventually, out of desperation, Yang forced out, "It's a lot warmer over by the fire."

"I'm okay right here," Blake said. Her voice was quiet, like she didn't have the energy to speak.

"Are you sure?" Yang asked.

"Yes. I…" Blake hesitated. "I don't like funerals. They remind me too much of old friends who aren't around anymore."

Yang had never heard Blake mention anything like that before, although the subject of funerals hadn't come up before either. Yang wasn't sure who Blake was talking about. If she had to guess, they were probably former comrades from the White Fang, those who hadn't been so lucky. It was a stark reminder to Yang of how much she still didn't know about Blake's past. She might have been worried or upset about that, but right now she didn't have the capacity for such things.

For a moment today, Yang had thought Blake had died. It had been more horrible than anything Adam had ever done to her. The specter of seeing Blake lying facedown on this morning's battlefield haunted the back of Yang's mind, and she was powerless to fight against it. To make herself actually think about it, to relive that moment of utter despair, wasn't something she could handle.

Yang almost didn't notice when a muted sensation came from her prosthetic. She glanced down and saw Blake's hand peeking out from under the blanket. Blake's fingers were brushing up against her own.

Yang understood what Blake was asking her. She gently took ahold of Blake's hand.

Blake asked, "Do you think Weiss will be alright?"

"I don't know," Yang said. "I don't want to worry about Weiss right now. I want to worry about you."

"Don't. I'm fine," Blake said.

"Blake. I…" Yang said.

"I'm fine," Blake repeated.

"But…what if someday you're not?" Yang asked. It was, in all truthfulness, a possibility she'd never considered. It was just like how she'd always used to assume that she was going to win every fight, an assumption that had been thoroughly disproved.

Blake said, "We're huntresses, Yang."

"Yeah. I guess we are," Yang said, catching Blake's meaning. They'd both chosen a dangerous occupation for themselves.

Yang felt more lost now than ever, but just then, Ruby walked up, looking absolutely despondent. Yang did her best to pull herself out of her stupor. Ruby obviously needed her help, and she would try her best to be there for her sister.

Ruby plopped down in front of Yang and Blake and rested her head in her hands. She said, "Weiss won't speak to me."

Yang said, "She might not for a while."

"I keep trying to think of some way to, I don't know, make her feel better," Ruby said.

Yang cast her eyes down. She remembered what Dad had been like after Mom had died. She remembered her own inner turmoil as well. She said, "I don't think there is anything you can do to make Weiss feel better right now, Ruby."

"But I can't just do nothing!" Ruby said, sounding upset. "This is…if I'd just…if I'd done better, maybe Winter would still be alive."

"Stop," Blake said suddenly. "This is not your fault."

"I know that," Ruby said. "But—"

"No. No buts," Blake said. "This was Cinder's doing. And if you get caught up trying to imagine how things might have gone differently, all you'll do is drive yourself crazy."

"Okay," Ruby said with a sigh.

Yang said, "Listen, Rubes. Right now you just need to be there for Weiss. It might not seem like you're helping, but you are."

"Do you really think that's enough?" Ruby asked.

"It'll have to be," Yang said.

"Then I'll do it," Ruby said. She stood up.

Yang's eyes followed Ruby as she headed back toward the fire. She watched Ruby walk over to Weiss. After some hesitation, Ruby scooted in close and put her arm around Weiss. It took a second or two, but Weiss's head tilted to the side until it came to a rest on Ruby's shoulder. The two of them stood there, silhouetted against the all-consuming flames of the funeral pyre, casting long shadows into the night.

Blake said, "It's late. We'll need to make camp soon."

"Yeah," Yang said. "I guess we will."

* * *

Hours later, three tents were standing in a semicircle. A snowstorm had rolled in, and Yang was sitting in the middle of it, enduring the elements alone. Before the weather had turned ugly, everyone had been worried about Cinder or the grimm attacking during the night. Yang had volunteered to keep watch.

A bitterly cold wind was blowing, whipping up the falling snow into a flurry. Yang had borrowed Blake's coat for the night. She didn't want to rely too much on her semblance right now since she was still recovering from the fight with Cinder. Taiyang might have been on to something when he'd suggested she wouldn't be so tough without her semblance to ward off the cold, because right now she was miserable. She wasn't even sure what good she was doing out here. The weather made it impossible to see more than a few dozen feet in any direction. But Yang stayed put. At least out here she could actually feel something, even if it was only the aching of her bones.

Suddenly, one of the tents' flaps opened. Qrow crawled out of it. He regarded the weather with a sour expression before he trudged over to Yang and sat down next to her. "Still hiding out here, Kid?" he asked.

"I'm not hiding," Yang said.

"Uh-huh," Qrow said. It was clear he didn't believe her.

"Shouldn't you be asleep?" Yang asked.

"I'm not used to having a tent," Qrow said. "It's too cozy in there for me."

"Sure," Yang said. Truthfully, she didn't really care where or how Qrow spent the night.

Yang brought her knees up and hugged her arms around them. The cold was really starting to get to her. No wonder everyone looked at her enviously during the winter months. But she'd promised to keep watch. She wasn't about to back down, not to something as paltry as the cold.

Qrow glanced around. Then he said, "Why don't you go inside."

"I told you, I'm not hiding," Yang said.

"I didn't say you were that time." Qrow sighed. "Look, Kid. Unless you want to end up like me, now's not the time to be thinking of yourself."

"I'm not thinking of myself," Yang insisted.

"Then why are you out here and not in that tent with your girlfriend?" Qrow asked.

"You know why," Yang said. "I'm on watch."

"What I know is a lousy excuse when I hear one," Qrow said.

"It's not an excuse!" Yang said.

"Sure, Kid," Qrow said. "But while you're out here hiding from your feelings, how do you think your girl's doing in that tent all by herself?"

Yang opened her mouth, but then she closed it again. It dawned on her that she'd been so worried about Blake's physical injuries that she hadn't stopped to consider Blake's emotional ones. It wasn't like Blake had been absent for the day's tragedies. They had to have affected her as well.

Yang's head turned toward the tent Blake was sleeping in. She knew she should go to Blake. She wanted to go to Blake. But something was keeping her from moving.

"What are you waiting for, Kid? Get in there," Qrow said.

"Alright," Yang said, allowing herself to give in. "Uncle Qrow? Thanks."

"Yeah, yeah," Qrow muttered. "Do me a favor and don't mention it."

Yang lifted up the flap to the tent and quickly crawled inside. It was such a relief to be out of the wind and snow. She looked over to where Blake was sleeping. Blake must have been having a dream. Her eyes were twitching underneath their lids, and one of her hands had worked its way out from under the covers and was grasping at the air.

Yang pulled off her coat, duster, and boots; and then she crawled over next to Blake. She reached out with her left hand and gently brushed her fingers across Blake's cheek.

Blake stirred in her sleep, but she didn't wake. She muttered something that sounded like Yang's name.

A longing welled up in Yang's chest and began to seep through the emotional numbness. She loved Blake so much. She didn't know how to live without her anymore. Maybe that was why she'd withdrawn from her feelings. Today she'd seen how vulnerable they made her. Yang hated being vulnerable, but she hated the idea of not loving Blake even more.

Yang pulled her fingers away. She felt the numbness try to reassert itself, but she forced it away. She'd spent months on Patch Island trapped in her bed by the crushing grip of depression. She wouldn't succumb to it again. She knew that no matter what, her time with Blake wasn't forever. She didn't want to waste any of it despairing of that ugly truth.

Yang pulled back the covers just a little and slipped underneath them. She snuggled up next to Blake and put her arm around her.

Yang felt the tension locked inside of her slowly begin to release itself. She pulled Blake in closer, but suddenly, Blake yelped in pain. Her eyes flew open, and she shot up into a sitting position.

"Blake?!" Yang said. She sat up as well. "What's wrong?!"

"Yang? It's…it's nothing," Blake said. But she was gingerly clutching her stomach.

Yang scowled. "Blake. Show me."

Blake looked worried. She didn't move.

"Please," Yang said.

Blake reluctantly let her hands drop. On her torso, just below her crop top, was a nasty burn.

"Blake!" Yang said in alarm. Her hands cupped Blake just around the burn mark. It had to have been an exceptionally bad one for it to look so ugly after most of a day's recovery.

"It's healing! I didn't want you to worry," Blake said. But Yang had hardly heard a word of it. The floodgates inside of her had been flung open. All of the fear and anguish that had been bottled up inside of her came rushing out. Tears started flowing down her cheeks, and her hands began to tremble.

"Yang," Blake said. She was starting to cry too. "I'm alright."

Yang's arms wrapped around Blake, and her head fell to Blake's chest. Blake started rocking Yang back and forth. "I'm alright," she repeated to reassure the both of them. "I'm alright."

* * *

When morning inevitably came, Yang found herself waking up in Blake's arms. Sunlight was leaking its way into the tent, and there was a distinct lack of wind. It was, in all probability, a clear and beautiful day outside. Yang wasn't sure she was ready for a beautiful day. Her emotions were still raw from last night, but she was at least feeling a little better.

Yang slowly extracted herself from Blake's arms. She took a moment to glance at Blake's burn. It had healed a bit more, but Yang was certain it would leave a permanent mark. So long as Blake herself was intact, Yang was okay with that.

Yang stretched out as best she could in the confined space. She only felt a little sore. Her aura had done its job getting her back into fighting shape. She slipped on her boots and duster, but she left Blake's coat behind. Blake would need it, and Yang was feeling more than recovered enough to rely on her semblance again. She opened the tent's flap and crawled out.

The campsite outside was covered in a fresh layer of snow, making everything look clean and pure. It was like the storm last night had swept away the old world and replaced it with a new one. Unfortunately, Yang knew that the old world was still there, lurking just below the façade of white.

Yang turned around and closed the flap to her tent. She looked over at the other tents. Ruby and Weiss weren't up yet. There was no sign of Qrow either, but Yang wasn't worried about him. Despite his claims to the contrary, she knew he did care. Wherever he was, he'd be back soon.

Yang turned back to where the backpacks and supplies were stacked up. She'd intended to get some breakfast started, but what she saw made her stop dead.

Seconds ago there had been nothing but an empty, snow-covered field in the middle of the campsite, but now a tall woman was standing there. She was dressed in black and red animal furs that contrasted sharply with the endless white. The snow around her was completely undisturbed, like she'd somehow materialized out of thin air. A nodachi hung on her waist in a bulky scabbard, and most alarmingly of all, she had on a grimm mask that covered her entire face.

Yang stood still, not moving a muscle. She could tell at a glance that this mysterious stranger was exceptionally dangerous. There was a subtle edge to her stance and posture that spoke volumes about what she was capable of. Yet Yang didn't feel threatened. Even though the stranger's mask was similar to the ones the White Fang wore, Yang was far more surprised than alarmed.

Without a word, the mysterious woman reached up and removed her mask. It revealed a face that could have been Yang's own and intense, red eyes.

Yang knew who was standing in front of her. It was plain to see, but she still couldn't believe it. She felt like she'd slipped out of reality and into some kind of surreal dream. A whisper escaped her lips, "Raven?"

"Hello, Yang," Raven said. "We need to talk."

* * *

PART II

A stifling quiet hung heavy in the air over Team RWBY's campsite. Yang stood stock-still, staring at the stranger in front of her. She was caught between the reality of finally being face-to-face with her birth mother and her inability to believe what was happening. She'd searched for Raven for so long, but she was still completely unprepared for this moment to come, especially so unexpectedly.

Raven hadn't made a move or said another word. If she was expecting some kind of response from Yang, it wasn't coming. A full two minutes ticked by, until Raven finally asked, "Where's Qrow?"

Yang blinked. The question snapped her out of her daze as over a decade's worth of expectations wilted in the face of reality. "That's it?" she asked. "That's all you have to say to me?"

Raven had the decency to look uncomfortable. She shifted on her feet, and awkwardly asked, "How…have you been?"

"How have I been!?" Yang exclaimed. "You left me before I was even old enough to remember you! I've spent years trying to find you! Do you know how many questions I have for you?"

"Well here I am," Raven said. "Ask."

Yang opened her mouth, but no words came out. There were so many things that she'd wanted to know, but recent events made them all seem trite. When it came down to it, there was really only one question that mattered. Yang asked, "Why did you leave?"

"There were important things that had to be dealt with," Raven said.

Yang felt like she'd been slapped in the face. "More important than your family!?" she asked.

"They were important because of my family," Raven said. Then she muttered, "As if anyone I've met outside the Tribe knows the meaning of the word."

Yang didn't know what "tribe" Raven was talking about, and right now she didn't care. She said, "I'm pretty sure it means you talk to each other once in a while. Dad waited two years for you to come back or send a message or something! Do you know what you put him through?"

"I'm not responsible for your father's well-being," Raven said, gritting her teeth. The conversation was obviously straining her ability to remain calm.

"Then what about my well-being!?" Yang asked.

"Even when you were a baby, I knew you were going to be a great warrior," Raven said. "You already had what it took to be strong, I could see it. You didn't need me."

"I needed my mother!" Yang shouted.

"You've done well enough for yourself," Raven said.

"Well enough!?" Yang exclaimed. She held up her prosthetic. "I lost an arm!"

"And you should have lost your life!" Raven snapped, impatience finally getting the better of her. "I was there on that underground train! I gave you a chance to learn from your mistakes!"

"So that was you," Yang muttered. Then she said, "I guess you couldn't have been bothered to do it again."

"One chance. That's my rule. And it's more than anyone in this world has a right to expect," Raven said. "Qrow passed on my warning."

"Yeah, I remember," Yang said bitterly. "You want to know how that made me feel? Knowing you could have sent me a message anytime you'd wanted? And after all those years, all you had to say to me was, 'Don't screw up again.'"

"If you're so concerned about your feelings, maybe you've lived with your father for too long," Raven said.

"Well whose fault is that!?" Yang spat out.

Suddenly, Raven's hand flew to the hilt of her sword. Yang dropped into a fighting stance out of reflex. Her arms came up, but she didn't activate her gauntlets. She wasn't sure what was happening. She didn't really want to believe that Raven would attack her, but it was painfully clear to her that she didn't really know Raven at all.

"Tell your friend to get down here," Raven said. Her eyes flicked up at something behind Yang. "The one in the tree."

Yang was confused. She turned around and looked up. There was a tall evergreen tree just behind the tents, and Yang spotted a black shape perched high up in its branches. Whoever was up there must have heard Raven, because they stood and jumped down.

Blake landed gracefully on her feet next to Yang. Yang hadn't even realized that Blake had woken up yet, much less snuck out the back of their tent. One of Blake's hands was poised over Gambol Shroud, but she hadn't drawn it yet. She looked firmly at Raven and asked, "Who are you?"

Yang said, "Blake, this is Raven."

"Raven? Your mother?" Blake asked in disbelief.

"Something like that," Yang muttered.

Blake and Raven sized each other up. Both of their hands were still hovering near their weapons. Blake glanced at the grimm mask tucked under Raven's left arm. She asked, "Where did you get that?"

Raven smirked knowingly. "You think the White Fang were the first to prey on the fears of the ignorant, Kitty Cat?"

Shock registered on Blake's face. Underneath her bow, her ears twitched. She slowly lowered her hand away from her sword. In return, Raven did the same.

Yang was just as surprised as Blake. She asked Raven, "How did you know?"

Raven said, "Contrary to what you might think, I have been keeping an eye on you. It wasn't hard to put the clues together."

Yang frowned. If Raven really had been checking up on her with enough regularity to decipher Blake's secret, it meant that she could have done a lot more than use Qrow to send a message. Yang was more confused now than ever. If Raven didn't care, why was she keeping tabs on her? And if she did care, why hadn't she bothered to be a part of her life at all?

While Yang tried to puzzle out the mystery, Raven took a moment to look her over. She said, "You've changed, Yang, since I last saw you."

Yang's frown deepened. "Yeah," she said, holding up her arm again. "We talked about that."

"That's not what I meant. That little girl I saved on the train had been living under the illusion of peace for too long. It had made her weak," Raven said. "But you. You've finally seen what the world's really like. Power hungry fools on the loose. The kingdoms at each other's throats. This is the natural state of things."

"You almost sound happy about it," Yang said.

"The weak die, and the strong survive. It's a truth as old as time itself," Raven said. "You've finally become strong, Yang. You've overcome the lies that were holding you back. I'm proud of you."

A dark expression crossed Yang's face. "You're wrong," she said.

"Excuse me?" Raven asked.

"This isn't what the world's supposed to be like."

"It's disappointing that you'd think that, after all you've experienced."

"Why should I care if you're disappointed in me?"

"I'm your mother, Yang."

"No, you're not. You stopped being my mother the day you left home," Yang said. The words tasted bitter in her mount, but she couldn't hold them back. "I'm glad you left too! If you hadn't, Dad would've never married Summer, and Ruby never would've been born. She's worth more to me than you ever will be!"

Raven rolled her eyes. "Don't be so dramatic," she said.

Angry tears were welling up in Yang's eyes. This wasn't what she'd wanted at all. She'd wanted to have a mother again. Maybe that was why she'd searched so long and hard for Raven. She'd been hoping to reclaim at least a fraction of the love that Summer had given her. Even now a part of her believed that Raven was capable of that, but it was obvious that Raven was not Summer. Yang had wasted her time looking. It was a bitter pill to swallow.

Blake's hand suddenly found its way into Yang's, and Yang held on tight, desperate for the silent emotional support that Blake was giving her.

Raven asked, "Where's Qrow?"

"I don't know," Yang said.

"You don't know, or you won't tell me?" Raven asked.

"I don't know!" Yang repeated.

A voice called out, "I'm right here."

Raven turned. Qrow was standing a few feet behind her. Raven said, "There you are, Brother. It seems you were going to be late to our rendezvous."

"From the looks of it, so were you," Qrow said as he walked up.

Something clicked in Yang's head. She said, "Raven was the contact we were heading to meet."

"Yeah," Qrow said. "I told you you wouldn't like what you found out here."

"You knew I was looking for her, Uncle Qrow!" Yang said. "You've known for years! And all this time you've known how to find her?!"

"More or less, yeah," Qrow said.

"Then why didn't you tell me!?" Yang asked.

"Sometimes a vain hope is better than the truth, Kid," Qrow said. "Are you really happier now that you've met your mom?"

Yang didn't respond.

"Sorry it had to be like this, Kid," Qrow said. "But your mom's right. The real world doesn't play nice."

Raven said, "It's a lesson she should have learned years ago. No thanks to you or her father."

Qrow shook his head exasperatedly. "Well, if we're done crushing your daughter's spirit, what are you doing out here? I doubt you were looking for us."

Raven glared at Qrow, but she otherwise ignored his snide comment. She said, "I was tracking a lead. It was a coincidence that I found you."

"Coincidence. Sure," Qrow said.

"Do you want to know what I've discovered about the Spring Maiden for you or not?" Raven asked.

"Alright. What did you find out?" Qrow asked.

"She's gotten it into her head that she can stop Cinder Fall all by herself," Raven said.

Yang muttered, "Bad call."

Qrow said, "Sounds like Lily. Did you find out where she is?"

"Oniyuri, as of yesterday," Raven said.

"What's she doing there?" Qrow asked.

"Investigating, I imagine," Raven said. "The village was destroyed two days ago."

Qrow eyed Raven. Yang wasn't sure why.

"It was destroyed by the grimm," Raven elaborated.

"Right," Qrow said sarcastically. "What else could it have been."

Raven glared at Qrow again. Yang was getting the impression that it was her preferred method of communicating with her brother.

Qrow said, "We need to get to Oniyuri, and you're going to help us."

"I'm not your personal airship," Raven said.

"Then it's a good thing you're not doing this out of the kindness of your heart," Qrow said.

"Well since you've brought it up, we should talk about payment," Raven said.

"It's already been agreed to," Qrow said. "One favor for the Tribe from Oz."

"How can I be sure Ozpin will keep his word?" Raven asked.

"Unlike you or me, Oz honors his promises," Qrow said.

Raven scrutinized Qrow closely like she didn't trust him, but then she said, "Hurry up and get ready to leave. I'm not going to wait around for you all day."

Yang was very confused. She still had no idea what tribe Raven was talking about, and Ozpin, being dead, wasn't in a position to grant favors.

Qrow turned from Raven. When he saw the puzzled expression on Yang's face, he winked at her.

All of a sudden, Yang understood. Qrow was conning Raven into helping him for free. It was probably petty and vindictive of her, but she couldn't help but feel satisfaction at the thought.

Qrow said to Yang, "Better get Ruby up, if she isn't already. We need to get packed."

"Right," Yang said.

* * *

"Are you sure she's really your mom?" Ruby asked.

"She's…" Yang said. Then she sighed. "She's the one who gave birth to me, yeah."

Ruby's eyes slid toward Raven. Raven had put her mask back on. She'd been standing there, silently observing Team RWBY as they'd broken down their campsite. Yang knew that not so long ago, she would've been taken in by the mystique Raven was deliberately cultivating. But now she was far less impressed by it. She wondered how much of Raven's aloof demeanor was genuine and how much of it was just an act.

Ruby said, "I don't like her. If she was really your mom, you'd be happier."

Yang couldn't help but chuckle. "I'm okay, Rubes," she said.

"Everyone's sure been saying that a lot since we got to Mistral," Ruby said. "And nothing's been okay at all!"

"Yeah, you're right. I'm not okay," Yang admitted. "But I'll get over it. I promise."

"You better," Ruby said. "I want my sunny sister back."

"Yeah. Me too," Yang said quietly. Then she asked, "How's Weiss doing?"

Ruby frowned. "Not good," she said as she glanced over to where Weiss was listlessly packing up her backpack.

Weiss had been just as unresponsive this morning as she'd been last night. She'd hardly even noticed the stranger in Team RWBY's midst, and right now she was moving like some sort of lifeless automaton.

Yang said, "Go take care of her, Ruby. She needs you a lot more than I do right now."

"Alright," Ruby said. "Yang? You know I love you, right?"

Yang smiled a genuine smile. She pulled Ruby into a quick hug and said, "You bet I do. And nothing's ever going to change that."

"Yeah. Nothing," Ruby said.

Yang watched as Ruby walked over to Weiss.

Blake was standing just behind Yang. As soon as Ruby was out of earshot, she asked, "You know I love you too, right?"

Yang turned around. "Do you even have to ask?"

"No," Blake said. "And I hope that means you'll tell me if you're actually going to be okay."

"I don't know," Yang said, shaking her head. "I think I have too many feelings right now to figure any of them out."

Blake stepped up and wrapped her arms around Yang. "Believe me. I understand," she said.

Yang let out a long breath. Her eyes closed, and she let Blake's presence sooth her. She mentally repeated her promise to herself to focus on the good things in her life, and Blake was definitely a very good thing.

"I wonder…" Blake said before trailing off.

"You wonder what?" Yang asked, opening her eyes.

"No. Don't worry about me right now," Blake said.

"Blake…" Yang said.

Blake sighed. Yang could tell by Blake's expression that there was something bothering her. Yang was suddenly very aware of the burn hidden underneath Blake's coat. It made Blake feel vulnerable in her arms. Yang hated it, but despite her desire to do more, she just kept quietly hugging Blake. She knew from experience that the only way to get Blake to talk about her worries was to let them come to the surface on their own.

Eventually, Blake said, "I wonder how my parents are doing."

"Your parents are alive?" Yang asked, surprised.

"Yes. Why did you think they weren't?" Blake asked.

"I don't really know," Yang admitted. "I guess I just assumed."

"They live on Menagerie," Blake explained. "It's been…years since we've spoken."

There were a lot of reassuring things Yang wanted to say to Blake, but at the moment, she couldn't find it in herself to genuinely believe that everything would work out for the best. Instead, she asked, "Do you want to talk to them again?"

"I don't know if they'd want to talk to me," Blake said. "But after all this…. I think I owe it to myself to try."

"Then the first thing we'll do once we're done here is find a way to give them a call," Yang said. "Maybe Atlas will have the CCT Network back up by then."

"Yang, Menagerie doesn't have a tower," Blake said. "You can't call there."

"Then we'll have to write them a letter," Yang said. "Or even better, we'll go there ourselves."

"You'd do that with me?" Blake asked.

Yang smiled. "You bet I would. After yesterday, I think I owe you at least that much."

"What do you mean?" Blake asked, looking genuinely confused.

Yang instantly regretted saying anything, but she knew she was going to have to explain herself now. She sighed and said, "I shouldn't have been hiding from you yesterday. I should have—"

Blake pulled Yang into a kiss, silencing her. Yang was surprised at first, but then her eyes fluttered closed. She took her time, making the kiss as slow and tender as she could. Leave it to Blake to know what to do. When the two of them were together like this, all the tragedies and disappointments in the world couldn't touch them.

Yang's and Blake's lips gently parted, and Blake's head came to a rest in the crook of Yang's neck.

"Yesterday was hard on all of us," Blake said. "You don't need to apologize for anything, and you don't need to make up for anything either."

"Alright," Yang said. "But we're still going to Menagerie together. I want to meet your parents."

A tiny smile crossed Blake's lips. "Thank you for loving me, Yang," she said. "You don't know what it means to me."

"You're too awesome not to love," Yang said.

Blake chuckled softly. It was music to Yang's ears.

Yang and Blake stood there like that for a while longer. But eventually, Qrow came walking up. "Come on," he said. "We need to go."

Yang nodded. She let go of Blake and turned toward Raven. Despite Raven's face being hidden behind her mask, Yang could feel Raven's eyes on her. She'd been watching. Yang wondered for how long.

Everyone in Team RWBY donned a backpack. At Qrow's insistence, they all gathered around Raven. Yang wasn't sure how Raven was going to help them get to Oniyuri, but she bet she was about to find out.

Qrow said, "Oniyuri might still be crawling with grimm. Or worse. So everyone keep an eye out."

Ruby asked, "Is it going to take long to get there?"

"Nope," Qrow said.

On cue, Raven drew her sword with a slow and deliberate motion. She slashed at the open air, and suddenly, a font of energy burst forth like she'd cut open reality itself.

"Wow!" Ruby said. "What's that?"

Qrow said, "It's a portal. It'll take us where we need to go."

"Wow!" Ruby repeated.

Yang had to agree. Raven's semblance was an impressive one, if the swirling portal even was a product of her semblance. After meeting real, live Maidens, Yang wasn't counting out the possibility that it might just be magic.

"Come on," Qrow said. He walked into the portal Raven had created and vanished.

"Let's go, Weiss!" Ruby said. She took Weiss by the hand. Weiss didn't acknowledge that anything amazing was happening, but she did let Ruby pull her into the portal.

Blake glanced at Yang. Then she stepped forward. Yang was right behind her.

Just as Blake entered the portal ahead of Yang, Raven said, "You don't have to follow my brother, Yang. There's a family, a real family, ready to welcome you."

Yang turned. Raven's sword was back in its sheath. She'd taken off her mask again, and she was actually smiling. There was something about her now that made Yang feel that she was finally seeing the real Raven and not some persona.

Yang asked, "You mean 'the Tribe'?"

"Yes," Raven said. "Our Tribe."

"If the Tribe is so welcoming, why didn't you take me and Dad with you when you left?" Yang asked.

"I left your father behind to raise you," Raven said. "We have a rule. No one can be born into the Tribe. You have to be worthy of it, and you have to want to join."

"And you really think I want to?" Yang asked. "You really think I'll go with you just like that?"

"Not alone," Raven said. "Your lover, Blake was it? She'd be welcome too."

Yang was taken aback. She supposed it wasn't a great leap of logic for Raven to figure out that she and Blake were lovers—especially not after seeing them kiss—but it was still surprising to hear her say it.

"Think about it, Yang," Raven said. "Blake would find acceptance in the Tribe in a way she never will in the kingdoms. We wouldn't care about her heritage, just what she's capable of. And you and I both know that she's very capable."

For just a moment, Raven's offer was a tempting one. Assuming she wasn't lying, it would be a dream come true for Yang to live with Blake somewhere that Blake didn't have to hide anything about herself. But then Yang looked at the portal in front of her, and the temptation faded. If Raven really could make these at will, it told Yang everything she needed to know.

Yang looked back at Raven and said, "You could have come to Beacon or Patch or anywhere I was any time you wanted. If you really cared about me…."

"Yang, you're my daughter," Raven said. "Don't ever think that means nothing to me. That's why I saved you when I shouldn't have. I've been waiting for the day that you could finally come and be part of your real family. I love you."

Raven's words hit Yang hard. As much as she didn't want to, she believed her. But she said, "I've already got a family. And I don't think you know what that word really means." She turned back to the portal.

"Yang!" Raven said, reaching out with her hand. "I won't be there to save you again! Fighting Cinder Fall is a fool's errand!"

"Cinder wants to hurt Ruby," Yang said. "She did hurt Ruby. And she hurt Blake. I'm not going to stop until she gets what's coming to her."

Raven let her hand drop. A look of resignation crossed her face, but then she smiled. "You're more like me than I thought. Yang…good luck. I am proud of you. Never forget that."

"I won't. Mom," Yang said. Then she stepped through the portal, leaving behind the person she'd searched for most of her life.

* * *

PART III

The town of Oniyuri was a tragedy written in destroyed homes and absent people. The devastation was so fresh that the wind still reeked with the scent of death. Some of the demolished buildings were even still smoldering from fires that had burned. But Weiss didn't care. The deaths of so many and the suffering of countless more were difficult to comprehend in the best of circumstances, and right now, any sorrow Weiss might have held for the missing and displaced people of Oniyuri was drowned out by her horrendous grief over the death of just one. Winter, her sister, was dead.

In many ways Winter had been more of a mother to Weiss than her actual mother. Winter had certainly been a part of her life for longer than Mother. When Weiss had been small, Winter had been this majestic, regal person that she'd admired like no other. Even as Weiss had grown, Winter had never lost her air of infallibility in Weiss's eyes. And now she was dead.

Weiss wondered if she would've felt better if she'd been able to kill Cinder. She suspected not. But maybe she would have at least felt like less of a failure. Either way, she knew she hadn't seen the last of Cinder. She would get another chance to end Cinder's life.

Something warm bush up against Weiss, pulling her out of her troubling thoughts. She looked down and saw Ruby's hand tentatively touching hers. Weiss tried to ignore it at first, although she didn't know why. It was stupid, but she felt like she didn't deserve the comfort Ruby was offering her. But Ruby's quiet presence wore down Weiss's resolve.

Weiss eventually relented. She took Ruby's hand in hers and held on tight. A tingling feeling danced over her arm. Despite what it seemed like, Weiss knew the sensation wasn't coming from the physical contact. It was coming from Ruby's aura. With everything that had happened, it was an afterthought to Weiss that she'd become the new Winter Maiden. She imagined it would have been an awe-inspiring experience had things been different. The world around her, when she cared to acknowledge its existence, was clearer and brighter. It wasn't that her vision was necessarily sharper or that her hearing was crisper, but all her senses seemed more effective somehow. And there was more to it than that. Yang and Blake were walking up ahead of Weiss, and Qrow was walking several feet in front of them. But if Weiss made an effort, she could literally feel all their auras.

Ruby, however, was different. Even without concentrating, Weiss could feel Ruby's aura clearly, like a beacon in the night. Weiss would've like to believe that it was because of her feelings for Ruby, but she knew that wasn't the case. Cinder's aura had been no less clear to her. Weiss wasn't sure if it was specifically because Cinder and Ruby were Maidens or if it was just because their auras were so much stronger than everyone else's now. She supposed the reason why didn't really matter, but it would have been nice to know.

Now that Weiss's attention had been brought to Ruby's aura, it was impossible for Weiss to ignore it brushing up against her. It was like a gust of warm air on a chilly day, and it was filling her with new life, whether she wanted it to or not.

Weiss found herself caught. She didn't _want_ to feel better right now—not with Winter only dead a day—but she could only resist the temptation of Ruby's aura for so long. After some token resistance, she began greedily drinking in the sensation.

Suddenly, a rush of anxiety flooded into Weiss. It caught her so completely off guard that it took her a moment to realize the emotion wasn't coming from her; it was coming from Ruby. With their auras connected like this, Weiss was able to feel what Ruby was feeling. She wanted it to stop, but guilt, her own guilt, kept the connection open. Weiss knew she was the source of Ruby's anxiety. Ruby was worried sick about her, and she'd been too self-absorbed to notice.

Weiss just knew that if she apologized to Ruby for being so selfish, Ruby would tell her that it was okay for her to be selfish right now. Maybe it was okay, but Weiss wanted to be better than that for Ruby. She wanted to be perfect for her. If only that were possible.

Weiss's eyes fell down to where Ruby's hand was still clasped in hers. It took her a minute or two, but she finally said, "Ruby…."

Ruby's head shot up in surprise. "Weiss!" she said. Weiss felt an instant change in Ruby's aura. Joy and hope started coming to the fore.

"Ruby, I…." Weiss tried to find the right words. "I'm sorry."

"You're sorry?" Ruby asked. "What for?"

"I've made you worry about me and—"

"Nope! Stop!" Ruby said. "None of that!"

"But, Ruby," Weiss said. "We have a mission we need to focus on. It's more important than—"

"Nope!" Ruby said again. "Weiss, you can't just turn off your feelings. And you can't pretend that bad things don't happen!"

"But I can't afford to be distracted right now," Weiss said. "We all need to be able to depend on each other if we're going to get through this."

"Weiss, I know we can depend on you," Ruby said. "But you can depend on me too. Especially right now. It's part of my job as your friend. And as your girlfriend!"

Weiss felt the anxiety in Ruby's aura bleeding away, revealing an innocent and pure love. It took Weiss's breath away. To know for certain that someone cared about her that much was overwhelming yet soothing. All Weiss could manage to say was, "Thank you, Ruby."

Up at the head of the group, Qrow held up his hand. Blake and Yang immediately came to a stop. Once Weiss and Ruby caught up with them, they stopped too.

It wasn't easy for Weiss, but she managed to refocus on what was happening around her. They were all standing at a crossroads in the middle of town. The buildings surrounding them were mostly in one piece, and that meant there were a lot of places that danger could be lurking.

Yang asked, "What is it, Uncle Qrow?"

"I thought I saw something," Qrow said. His eyes shifted around.

"Was it Lily?" Yang asked.

"I don't know. It kind of looked like her," Qrow said.

Suddenly, Yang's head snapped to the right. "Hey! Who's there?!"

Weiss followed Yang's gaze. She didn't see anything, but just then the sound of boots clomping across paving stones came from her left. She looked in time to see a figure dash around a corner.

Ruby must have seen the mysterious figure too, because she pointed and said, "Over there!"

Everyone stood there, watching. But nothing else happened. An eerie silence settled over them.

Qrow said, "Guess we're not alone here after all."

Blake said, "I don't like this."

"Yeah," Yang agreed. "This reminds me of that warehouse in Atlas."

Weiss knew all too well what Yang meant. They'd all found Yang unconscious and bleeding that day, thanks to Neo as they'd later learned. Weiss didn't want a repeat of that incident, especially not with the stakes so much higher than before.

Qrow said, "We're going to need to split up."

A frown crossed Yang's face. "That didn't work out so well for us the last time we tried it."

"No choice," Qrow said. "If we want to find whoever's out there we're not going to do it in a group. Oniyuri's too big."

Team RWBY exchanged nervous glances with each other. But then Weiss said, "He's right."

Everyone looked at Weiss. Yang and Blake seemed especially surprised to hear her speak again. Weiss said, "If we want to fulfill our mission, we have to accept that we can't do things the safe way. There isn't a safe way anymore. But that doesn't mean we can't still be smart about it."

"Right," Ruby said. "Then I've got an idea. We'll go in pairs, one left and one right. And Uncle Qrow? Can you search from the sky? That way if you see any of us in trouble, you can come help?"

Qrow looked at Ruby with a wistful expression.

"What?" Ruby asked. "Is something wrong?"

"No," Qrow said. "You just reminded me of your mom. Summer always came up with the plans too."

"That's…a good thing, right? Me being like her?" Ruby asked.

"Yeah, Kiddo. It's a good thing," Qrow said. He turned from the group, and a moment later, he'd taken the form of a bird. He quickly flew off into the sky.

"Alright, Team," Ruby said. "Weiss and I will go left, and Yang and Blake will go right."

Weiss immediately saw a problem with Ruby's proposal. Apparently she wasn't the only one, because Yang said, "Uh…Rubes?"

"Yeah?" Ruby asked.

Blake said, "We should probably split you and Weiss up. You're both Maidens, and we're not."

"Oh. Yeah," Ruby said, sounding disappointed. "Weiss, are you going to be okay with that?"

"Yes," Weiss said. "You can depend on me. Just like you said."

Ruby smiled. "Okay," she said with a nod. "Blake and Weiss, you go left."

Blake said, "Got it."

Weiss and Blake, and Yang and Ruby each went their separate ways. Weiss didn't like what was happening, but she'd meant what she'd said earlier. They had to take whatever risks were necessary to stop Cinder.

It didn't take long for the two pairs of teammates to lose sight of each other, but Weiss could still feel Ruby's aura. It was getting less distinct as the distance between them grew, but Weiss held on to the sensation like her life depended on it.

The first few minutes of searching didn't produce any results. Oniyuri was a ghost town, and there was no sign of whoever Weiss had spotted earlier. If Ruby hadn't seen them too, Weiss would have been doubting herself.

Out of the blue, Blake said, "I'm glad to see you're holding up so well, Weiss."

Weiss glanced at Blake. Blake wasn't looking at her—she was too busy keeping an eye out for danger, and her ears were swiveling around underneath her bow—but nevertheless, Weiss knew she had Blake's attention. She said, "I'm not going to let the Team down."

"I know," Blake said. "And I also know what you're going through. I never had a sister, but I have lost friends before that were as good as family."

"I'm sorry to hear that," Weiss said. Then a horrible thought entered her head. "You didn't lose them because of…my family, did you?"

Blake's eyes flicked over to Weiss for an instant. "No. Of course not," she said.

Weiss wasn't sure if Blake was telling the truth or lying to make her feel better, but she supposed now wasn't the time to press the issue. She should just accept Blake's sympathy for what it was.

Weiss said, "I don't imagine there's any easy way for me to get over what happened."

"No, there isn't," Blake said. "But we're all here to help you. Especially Ruby."

"Thank you," Weiss said. Ruby had been instrumental in keeping her from completely succumbing to despair yesterday, even if she hadn't realized it at the time. She suspected Ruby's emotional support would be equally important in the days to come. Even though it had only been a few minutes, Weiss was already keenly feeling Ruby's absence. She reached out to touch Ruby's distant aura once more.

Suddenly, Weiss stopped in her tracks.

Blake stopped too. "What is it?" she asked.

"I have an idea," Weiss said. She closed her eyes and began to concentrate. If she could feel Ruby's aura so distinctly, maybe she could do the same with the other Maiden's auras as well.

The world seemed to fade away as Weiss tried to locate the Spring Maiden. Her consciousness felt like it was growing, expanding outward from the shell of her body. She could feel Ruby as clear as day, but everything else was an empty void.

Weiss double her effort, pushing herself outward in all directions. Then she felt them. Two far-off points of existence in a sea of nothingness, like lonely stars in the night sky. Weiss knew, she somehow knew, that they were the Spring and Fall Maidens. In the back of her mind, she wondered if this was how Cinder had found them out on the road.

Weiss began to sweat as she pushed herself. She focused intensely on the point that was the Spring Maiden, but it was too far away to tell her anything about where Lily might be.

Weiss let go. She came rushing back into herself. The sudden contraction of her senses made her dizzy, but the sensation quickly passed. She opened her eyes.

"Anything?" Blake asked.

"No," Weiss said. "I'm not sure if—"

Weiss was cut off by Blake's head spinning to the left. Weiss looked just in time to see a black blur vanish around a street corner.

Without a word between them, Weiss and Blake drew their weapons. They moved quickly and quietly down the street, and when they got to the corner, they glanced around it.

Weiss and Blake both saw a beowolf stalking down the deserted road. It had its back to them, and it was alone, which was unusual. Weiss assumed a whole pack of its kind must be lurking somewhere nearby. There had obviously been heavy fighting here. The road was completely torn up, exposing bare dirt, although strangely, most of the buildings were still intact.

Blake whispered, "Something's not right."

"What do you mean?" Weiss whispered back.

"I don't know," Blake whispered. "Something just doesn't sound quite right."

Suddenly, the beowolf stopped. It began to sniff the air. Weiss readied herself in case they'd been discovered, but the grimm dropped to all fours and started galloping away from Weiss and Blake. It reached an alleyway and ran into it.

Weiss and Blake glanced at each other. Then they came out from around the corner and silently jogged toward the alley. Fortunately, the large gaps of missing paving stones made it easier to move quietly.

Loud noises arose from the alley. It sounded like someone was fighting the beowolf. Weiss and Blake picked up their pace. They got to the alley just as the noises stopped.

Weiss and Blake peeked into the alley. It was narrow, walled in by the two neighboring buildings. A dead beowolf lay on the ground in the middle of it. A figure was standing behind the creature, obscured by the haze wafting up from its dissolving body.

The figure stepped forward. It was a young woman who Weiss didn't recognize. She was clearly a Mistralian by the look of her, and she had the most remarkable green eyes. The woman looked right where Weiss and Blake were hiding and said, "You can come out now. Don't be afraid. Everything's alright."

Seeing as they'd been found out, Weiss stepped out from around the corner and walked into the alley proper. Blake followed behind her. Myrtenaster was still in Weiss's hand. Despite the woman's friendly demeanor, something was off about her, although Weiss couldn't put her finger on what. She asked, "Who are you?"

The woman smiled and said, "I'm Lily. Lily Vesna."

Meanwhile, several blocks away, Yang and Ruby were walking down the middle of an empty street. Yang was growing increasingly frustrated. They hadn't found anything, human, faunus, grimm, or otherwise. But Yang reined in her impatience. She knew all too well where that could lead. Sometimes she really resented the fact that she was trying to do things the smart way these days.

Ruby and Yang stopped at yet another intersection and looked around. Yang could see for miles in all four directions, and there was simply nothing there.

Ruby said, "I don't get it. You did see someone go down this street, right?"

"Yeah," Yang said. "They couldn't have gotten this far. Either we missed something, or…or maybe they're hiding from us."

Suddenly, a slow, sarcastic clapping echoed from nearby. Yang's arms shot up, her gauntlets already activated. Ruby whipped out Crescent Rose.

Out from the doorway of a building, Mercury, the very same Mercury who had help Cinder bring about the fall of Beacon, walked into the street. He said, "Finally using your head, eh Blondie?"

Yang said, "You! What are you doing here?"

Mercury said, "I just thought I'd visit this quaint little town. Take in the sights. Maybe get some coffee."

Ruby pulled back the hammer on Crescent Rose. "Where's Cinder?" she demanded.

Mercury crossed his arms. "How would I know that?"

"Because you work for her!" Ruby said.

"Well, you got me there," Mercury said with a shrug. "Yeah. I know where she is. But why should I tell you?"

Yang said, "There's no way you can beat us in a fight. Don't make this hard on yourself."

"Somebody sure thinks they're all that," Mercury said. "Maybe I'm not here to fight you. Maybe I'm just here to lure you into a trap."

Yang reflexively dropped back into a defensive stance. She honestly expected some horrible monster to suddenly appear, but nothing happened. She said, "If this is a trap, it's a pretty lame one."

"Oh, did I say trap?" Mercury asked. "Sorry. I meant distraction. It's your friends that are walking into the trap."

"Weiss!" Ruby exclaimed.

"Bingo!" Mercury said. "Congratulations on figuring it out just a little too late."

As if on cue, a brilliant flash of light lit up the sky in the distance. It had come from the other side of town, in the direction that Weiss and Blake had gone.

Mercury grinned. He said, "Looks like the fun's already begun."

* * *

PART IV

Weiss and Blake hadn't moved from their spot in the alley. Lily was walking up to them. Weiss kept a firm grip on Myrtenaster. She couldn't shake the feeling that something was amiss.

Lily said, "The grimm will be back any minute. We shouldn't stay here."

Weiss glanced at Blake. There was an uneasy expression on Blake's face. It seemed that she sensed trouble too.

Lily looked confused. "Is something wrong?" she asked.

It suddenly dawned on Weiss what was bothering her. Unlike Ruby or Cinder, she couldn't sense Lily's aura at all. It was like Lily wasn't even there. Weiss extended her senses like she'd done earlier, trying to figure out what was going on. She could feel Blake's aura clearly, but she still couldn't feel anything coming from Lily.

Weiss concentrated harder. Suddenly, her eyebrows shot up in alarm when she realized there was indeed another aura nearby besides Blake's. It was coming from directly behind them, and the malice rolling off of it was palpable enough to make Weiss feel nauseous. Weiss spun around, but to her surprise, she didn't see anyone there. The aura hadn't gone away, however. In fact, it was drawing closer.

"Blake! Eyes!" Weiss shouted. She thrust her open palm forward, and a blinding light burst forth from it.

Blake managed to shield her eyes in time. Lily, however, wasn't so fortunate. She yelped in pain. Her cry was echoed by a second voice coming from the exact spot where Weiss sensed the other aura. Lily vanished into thin air, and another person appeared in front of Weiss. Weiss recognized the intruder. It was Emerald, one of Cinder's associates.

Emerald, temporarily blinded by Weiss's light, was clutching her eyes with her hands. Weiss dashed forward and thrust the tip of her sword just underneath Emerald's chin. Emerald stiffened when she felt the edge of Weiss's blade graze her skin. She raised her hands in surrender.

Weiss asked, "What are you doing here?!"

"What do you think?" Emerald responded sarcastically. She slowly pried open her watering eyes.

"Is Cinder here?!" Weiss asked.

"If she was, you'd know," Emerald said. "After your last fight, she's really looking forward to killing you all."

A sneer pressed itself onto Weiss's face. She seriously considered stabbing Emerald right then and there, but Blake's hand fell on her shoulder. Weiss didn't take her eyes off of Emerald, but she made a conscious effort to keep her murderous desires in check.

Blake asked, "Where's Lily?"

A sinister smile crossed Emerald's face. She said, "Now that's a good question. Too bad you're not going to find out."

The ground behind Emerald suddenly erupted in an explosion of dirt and broken paving stones. Weiss leaped back in alarm as a death stalker clawed its way to the surface. It let out a menacing hiss, and its claws snapped with enough force to cleave a person in half. Weiss was utterly shocked. She didn't think the grimm understood things like patience or tactics, but this death stalker had clearly been hiding underground the whole time, waiting for a signal to attack.

Emerald took advantage of Weiss's distraction and jump back behind the grimm. She gave Weiss and Blake a wave goodbye.

Weiss held Myrtenaster at the ready. She was just about to attack the giant creature in front of her when a massive rumbling made the ground beneath her feet tremble. Huge cracks shot up the walls surrounding the alley where she and Blake were standing. The buildings began to break apart, and tons of rubble came crashing down toward them.

Weiss only had an instant to react. She grabbed Blake, pulled her in close, and summoned up her power as the Winter Maiden. A bubble of energy surrounded her and Blake just as the rubble collapsed around them completely.

"Blake! Are you alright?" Weiss asked. Her voice echoed in the claustrophobically tiny space. Fortunately, the bubble protecting her and Blake was also providing them light to see by.

"I'm alive," Blake said. She coughed in the dusty air. Then she asked, "Can you get us out of here?"

Weiss had to think for a moment. She certainly had the ability to clear the debris pressing down on them, but there wasn't a lot of space to work with. Any raw release of her power might have unpleasant consequences for Blake.

"Weiss?" Blake asked.

"Yes. I've got this," Weiss said. She closed her eyes and focused. The top of her protective bubble began to shift until it looked like one of her glyphs was etched on its surface.

Outside of Weiss's and Blake's makeshift tomb, the rubble had finished settling. A silence had fallen over the destroyed alleyway, contrasting sharply with the deafening noise of moments earlier. But then a bright light began to spill out from the gaps in the rubble. A massive, armored fist shot upward from the pile of debris, punching skyward. Bits of the collapsed walls went flying in every direction.

The fist vanished, and Weiss and Blake pulled themselves out of the divot left behind by Weiss's bubble.

Weiss said, "Come on, we've got to—"

An evil-sounding hiss cut Weiss off. Emerald was nowhere to be seen, but her death stalker companion was still there. It loomed menacingly.

Weiss and Blake raised their weapons. Weiss was confident in their ability to dispatch a single death stalker, especially given her new power, but no sooner had she thought that then the ground around them began to tremble again. Two more death stalkers burst out of the dirt. They scurried up the piles of rubble surrounding Weiss and Blake, boxing them in.

Weiss suddenly wasn't so confident. She shouted to Blake, "Quick! Let's—"

Weiss never got to finish. One of the death stalkers' tails came whipping out of nowhere. The barbed end crashed into Weiss. Her aura protected her from the stinger, but the raw force of the blow still sent her arcing high into the air.

"Weiss!" Blake called out as Weiss's trajectory sent her flying out of sight behind some of Oniyuri's intact architecture.

Unfortunately, Blake didn't have time to worry about Weiss for long. None of the death stalkers seemed interested in giving chase when there was prey right there in front of them. Blake found herself alone and surrounded by three alarmingly dangerous grimm. She drew Gambol Shroud's sharpened sheath from her back as the death stalkers closed in.

A few minutes earlier and several blocks away, Yang and Ruby were caught in an intense standoff with Mercury. Yang's unwavering gaze was locked onto her opponent, but Ruby's head kept swinging back and forth between Mercury and where that flash of light had come from. Mercury, for his part, seemed nonchalant about the whole situation to the point of boredom.

"Well?" Mercury asked Ruby, crossing his arms. "Aren't you going to go save her?"

Yang said, "Nice try. But Weiss is strong. She doesn't need our help."

"Oh yeah?" Mercury asked. "I bet that's what you thought about her sister too."

A frown crossed Yang's face. At the same time a rumbling sounded in the distance. It was followed by a cloud of dust rising up into the air from the exact same spot that the light had come from.

"Yang?" Ruby said, shifting uneasily on her feet. "Weiss is really in danger. I don't know how, but I can feel it."

Yang's eyes narrowed, although they never left Mercury. Lately, she'd grown to mistrust her gut reaction, but this time, she decided it wasn't leading her astray. "Go," she said to Ruby. "I got this."

"Are you sure?" Ruby asked.

"Yeah," Yang said. "I can handle this loser."

"Just be careful," Ruby said.

"I will. Trust me," Yang said.

Yang felt a gust of air ruffle her hair as Ruby sped away. A cloud of rose peddles scattered across the street.

"Alone at last," Mercury said sarcastically. He uncrossed his arms, and his hands came up in his typical, lazy combat stance. It gave the impression that he wasn't all that great of a fighter, but Yang knew better.

"So where are your friends?" Yang asked. She started taking cautious steps toward Mercury, never letting her guard down.

"What friends?" Mercury asked. He started walking toward Yang as well.

"That green-haired girl. Cinder. The grimm," Yang listed off.

"I wouldn't really call any of them friends," Mercury said with a chuckle. "I guess we did have this big, complicated ambush planned, but it just seemed like so much work."

"You should've stuck with it," Yang said, only a dozen feet from Mercury now. "I beat you last time, remember?"

"You were supposed to, Blondie," Mercury said. "That's what Cinder wanted. Or did you think I was really trying? Trust me, you've never seen me fight seriously."

"Neither have you," Yang said.

Yang and mercury stopped. They were scant inches from each other now. The wind picked up, and a few of Ruby's rose petals tumbled across the ground between them.

An instant later, Yang and Mercury exploded into a flurry of punches and kicks. A cacophony of blasts from Ember Celica and Mercury's boots split the air. Fists and feet flew as the two combatants did their best to beat the other into a bloody pulp. But despite the frenzied speed of their battle, neither one of them moved an inch. They had both claimed their turf, and they weren't about to give up a scrap of it.

Yang kept piling the punches onto Mercury, but no matter how hard she tried, the two of them seemed to be locked into a stalemate. Mercury hadn't been lying about not trying his best at the Vytal Festival, but neither had she. Back then she'd been a kid just having fun. This fight was for real, and Yang fully understood now what that meant.

Suddenly, Mercury's foot managed to slip past Yang's arm. It came up and connected hard with her jaw. She wobbled off-balance. Then Mercury spun around and launched another kick into her chest.

Yang went skidding backward a good few yards, but she managed to stay on her feet. Her hand came up and rubbed her jaw where she'd been kicked.

"Hmph," Mercury said. "I thought you'd be a little better than that. But hey, I guess you're a bit _shorthanded_ this time."

If Mercury had meant to arouse Yang's wrath, he'd succeeded, but he'd also failed to provoke a reaction. Yang stood their calmly. She let her anger feed into her semblance where it would do the most good. Mercury's powerful kick had already built up her semblance's energy to the point that it was clamoring to be released, but Yang held it back. She wanted to experience the satisfaction of hitting Mercury in a way he'd never see coming.

With lilac eyes, Yang cracked her knuckles. "Oh, don't worry," she said. "I'm just getting started."

"We'll see," Mercury said. He suddenly lifted his left leg and began firing Dust-enhanced ammunition from his boots.

Yang charged forward as Mercury's shots whizzed past her, leaving white-hot trails of flame in the air. A plan formed in Yang's head as she weaved and dodged. Just as she closed the distance, Mercury cocked his leg back and got ready to fire off a shot at point-blank range. It was exactly the opportunity Yang was looking for.

Just as Mercury kicked, Yang threw her fist forward. It collided with the gun barrel in Mercury's boot. The power of Yang's punch, coupled with a blast from Ember Celica, made Mercury's shot explode backward toward him. Yang took great pleasure in seeing the shocked expression on his face just seconds before he was blown back by a fireball of his own making.

When the smoke cleared, Mercury was lying sprawled out on the ground several feet away, but he quickly sprung back up. He laughed and said, "Not bad, Blondie."

Yang raised her fists again, but then something caught her eye. Mercury's left pants leg had been partially burned away, and underneath the singed fabric was a prosthetic leg. Yang froze as she gawked in horror.

Mercury looked confused. He glanced down for just a moment, and then a positively evil smile crossed his face. "Yeah, take a good look at your handiwork," he said. "You busted my leg so bad that the doc had to saw it off."

Mercury dropped his guard and started casually strolling toward Yang. Yang wanted to back away, but she was rooted to the spot. Mercury said, "I guess we're not so different after all, eh? Oh wait. Yes we are. I'm not the one who goes around punching off people's limbs. And they call me evil."

Mercury was getting dangerously close to Yang now, but she still didn't make a move to defend herself. As he continued to close in, Mercury said, "Kind of makes me think you deserved what happened to you."

Suddenly, Mercury lashed out with a lightning-fast kick. However, despite her outward appearance, Yang was ready for him. She spun out of the way and caught Mercury's leg in her hand. Her other hand flowed with her momentum and formed into a fist. Yang gathered up all of her semblance's pent-up energy and threw every last drop of it into a single punch.

Yang's fist smashed into Mercury's artificial shin with unimaginable force. It pierced Mercury's aura and plowed through his prosthetic. Shards of metal, ceramic, and plastic went spraying into the air as the leg snapped in two. Mercury fell to the ground with a shriek.

"Argh!" Mercury cried out as he clutched his shattered leg. "You—! How could you!"

"Easy," Yang said. "One, you work for Cinder. And two, that's the wrong leg."

"What?!" Mercury asked.

"I broke your right leg," Yang said. "That's your left."

Realization flashed across Mercury's face, but it was quickly replaced by abject rage. Any hint of his aloof attitude was gone. He scrambled up onto his good leg and started hopping toward Yang. "I'm going to kill you, Blondie! I'm—!"

Mercury was silenced by Yang's fist colliding with his face. He spun around once and then collapsed.

"Don't call me 'Blondie'," Yang said, "Call me 'Sir'."

Suddenly, a distant noise drew Yang's attention. She looked and saw another flash of light blooming on the far side of town.

Yang turned back to the stunned Mercury. She knelt next to him and slid up his right pants leg. Like she'd suspected, his other leg was artificial as well. Yang fumbled around with the prosthetic until she found what she was looking for. She gave it a twist and pulled it out of its socket.

"Urgh…" Mercury groaned. "What are you doing?"

"Taking you with me," Yang said. She hauled Mercury up and threw him over her shoulder. Then she began marching in the direction the light had come from.

Unbeknownst to Yang, not far away from her intended destination, Weiss was surrounded by a whole clutter of death stalkers. The scorpion-like grimm weren't known for traveling in groups, but apparently no one had told them that. It was just one more piece of evidence to suggest that someone was controlling them.

A claw snapped at Weiss from behind, but she sensed it coming. She twisted to the side and struck back with her sword, activating the red Dust loaded in its chamber. A veritable inferno leaped off of Myrtenaster as Weiss used her power to enhance the Dust's effect, and the death stalker was blown away in a fiery blast.

More grimm closed in, but the pattern continued. As they tried to attack, glaciers of ice, hurricanes of wind, and torrents of lightning struck them dead. Weiss would never wonder why someone would covet the power of a Maiden ever again. A single one of these creatures was the equal of two or three huntresses, but here she was, dispatching them with relative ease.

However, despite her power, Weiss knew she was still in danger. For every death stalker she struck down, another took its place. Their numbers seemed endless. If this kept up, she would quickly burn through Myrtenaster's entire reserve of Dust.

Yet another death stalker lunged for Weiss. She lifted her sword, but suddenly, there was a streak of silver light. The death stalker let out a roar as its tail was cleanly severed from its body. There was another streak, and Ruby appeared out of thin air. She buried Crescent Rose deep into the grimm's skull.

Ruby pulled her scythe free. As the death stalker fell dead to the ground, she exclaimed, "Weiss! Are you alright!?"

"Ruby!" Weiss said. But before she could say more, she and Ruby were forced to leap out of the way as another death stalker's tail crashed down where they'd been standing.

"We need to defeat these creatures quickly!" Weiss said.

"Then follow my lead!" Ruby said. She sped off in a blur.

Weiss understood what Ruby was telling her to do. She thrust her finger downward, and a yellow glyph appeared underneath her feet. She gasped as the time dilation effect took hold of her. It was stronger than she'd been expecting. She hadn't anticipated how her new power might affect this particular glyph.

Weiss disappeared in the blink of an eye. For just a moment, the death stalkers were alone. But then two streaks, one white and one red, weaved their way through the grimm. The creatures were suddenly being violently cut down with amazing speed.

The world around Weiss had faded into a haze as she continued to slash at any death stalker-shaped blobs that she came across. She was moving faster than she ever had before. The only thing she could see clearly was Ruby, but despite the surreality of the experience, she kept her focus. It was remarkably easy to do with Ruby there by her side. This frozen piece of time was a refuge for Weiss. For just a literal moment, she and Ruby were alone together in beautiful solitude.

Within seconds, all the death stalkers were dead. Ruby and Weiss reappeared in the center of the vanishing corpses. Seeing the powerful grimm defeated so easily gave Weiss hope. She dared to believe again that they really could stop Cinder.

Suddenly, Weiss remembered why she'd been in such a hurry to dispatch the death stalkers. "Blake!" she shouted.

"What about Blake?" Ruby asked. "Is she okay?!"

"I don't know!" Weiss said. "She and I got separated! We have to find her!"

"Right!" Ruby said. "Let's hurry then!"

Not so far way, Blake was skulking through the interior of an abandoned building. Escaping all the death stalkers that had cornered her had been difficult, but she'd managed, thanks mostly to her semblance. However, she wasn't in the clear yet. Something else was hunting her now, and this predator couldn't be evaded so easily.

The building Blake was in had been some sort of fashion boutique before its proprietors had been forced to leave. The space wasn't large, but between all the shelving and the racks loaded with trendy clothing, there were plenty of places to hide. The lights were off as there was no power anywhere in town, but that didn't bother Blake's faunus eyes.

Blake cautiously took a few steps forward, Gamble Shroud in hand, when suddenly a hooked blade on the end of a chain shot out from behind a display of mannequins. It wrapped around Blake, but Blake simply vanished. The chain clattered noisily to the floor.

The real Blake, concealed by a rack of dresses, fired off three quick shots in the direction that the chain had come from. She heard some muffled swearing. The chain and blade quickly retracted, and then Blake heard hasty footsteps as the unseen Emerald relocated.

Blake slipped out from her hiding place. It wouldn't be too hard for Emerald to figure out the general direction she'd been shooting from. She needed to find a new hiding spot as well.

Blake and Emerald had been stalking each other like this ever since Blake had set foot inside the boutique. As much as Blake resented using the phrase, it was apt to say that they were playing a game of cat and mouse. Although who was the cat and who was the mouse changed by the minute.

Blake strained her ears, but she'd lost track of Emerald. She couldn't hear any footsteps or sounds of weapons being handled or anything. Blake thought about taking off her bow so she could listen better, but she knew she couldn't afford to let her guard down for even a second.

A troubling realization came to Blake as she slunk forward. It wasn't just quiet, it was perfectly quiet. She should have been able to hear at least something. The hairs on the back of her neck suddenly stood on end, but their warning came too late. Out of nowhere, a heeled shoe collided with Blake's head. She went tumbling sideways, but she rolled with the blow and popped back up onto her feet.

Blake turned to face her attacker. Unfortunately, she saw not one but three Emeralds closing in on her, all of them with twin sickles at the ready. Blake raised Gambol Shroud's pistol. She only had seconds to act, so she picked a target and pulled the trigger.

Blake's shot went wide and missed all three of the Emeralds, but it struck something else, something that had been invisible.

"Ow!" a voice called out. The Emeralds charging for Blake disappeared, and a fourth, very surprised looking Emerald appeared exactly where Blake had been aiming. She glared at Blake. "How!?"

The only answer Blake gave Emerald was more shots from her pistol. She wasn't inclined to explain to Emerald that her illusions had been too quiet. They'd all sounded like how Blake imagined a human would hear them. And Blake's sensitive cat ears had picked up a far louder sound, the real Emerald breathing.

Emerald deflected Blake's bullets with her sickles. Then she rushed forward. She was obviously done being subtle. Blake hastily unfolded Gambol Shroud's blade and drew its sheath from her back. She raised them to block just in time as Emerald slashed at her.

Even without the advantage of her illusions, Emerald was a phenomenal fighter. Sparks lit up the darkened space as metal clashed on metal. Blake quickly found herself on the defensive. She wasn't sure if she could beat Emerald in a fair fight. It was a good thing that she had no intention of fighting fairly.

Emerald's foot came rushing toward Blake's gut. Thinking strategically, Blake deliberately took the hit. She when flying backward, letting out a gasp. Even having been prepared for it, the kick had been harder than she'd anticipated.

Blake slammed into a wall and fell to her hands and knees. She shook her head clear and jumped back to her feet. Emerald was already running for her, but it didn't matter. The kick had put Blake right next to the back stairwell, just like she'd wanted. Rather than standing her ground, she turned and ran up toward the second floor.

Blake's boots thudded on the steps as she sprinted past the landing and continued on up. She could hear Emerald hot on her heels. The door to the roof loomed before Blake. She didn't know if it was locked or not, so she slammed her shoulder into it with all of her might.

The door was blown off its hinges, and splintered bits of wood went flying into the air. Blake tore through the empty doorframe and out onto the flat rooftop. She ran to the edge of the building, but then she skidded to a halt. She'd been planning on jumping to the next rooftop, but the neighboring building was nothing more than a collapsed pile of jagged brick and broken timber. There was nothing to jump to.

The sounds of hammers cocking made Blake spin around. Emerald was standing there. Her sickles were both folded back into their pistol configuration, and they were both pointed straight at Blake. "Got you," Emerald said.

Underneath her bow, Blake's ears twitched. A smile crossed her face.

Emerald's eyes narrowed. "What?" she asked. "You really think you can beat me?"

"Maybe," Blake said. "But we're not going to find out."

Suddenly, a bird dove out of the sky toward Emerald. Just before it collided with her, it transformed into Qrow. His fist, backed up by the speed he'd built up in free fall, smashed directly into Emerald's jaw.

Blake saw Emerald's aura flare up against the impact seconds before her head was slammed into the rooftop hard enough to leave a shallow crater in the cement.

Qrow rolled as his momentum carried him forward. He came to a stop on his feet. He shook out his hand. Punching Emerald like that had no doubt hurt. "Hope you don't mind the help," he said. "It looked like you needed it."

"I was counting on it," Blake said. She walked up to where Emerald was crumpled up on the ground. One of Emerald's hands was blindly fumbling for her pistol, but Blake kicked it and its twin away.

Blake asked Qrow, "Where's everyone else?"

"All over the place," Qrow said.

"Then let's go find them," Blake said.

Weiss was running down the street near where she'd last seen Blake. The piles of paving stones and mounds of dirt left behind from where all the death stalkers had burrowed out of the ground were hampering her progress, but she persisted.

She stopped on the one flat bit of ground that apparently hadn't concealed a waiting death stalker and looked around. "Blake?!" she shouted. "Blake, where are you?!"

Ruby zipped up. "I can find her anywhere!" she said.

"She couldn't have gotten too far," Weiss said.

Blake's voice suddenly sounded from above. "I'm up here."

Weiss looked up in time to see Blake jump down from a rooftop overhead. She landed in front of Weiss holding an unconscious person in her arms. Qrow landed right behind her.

Ruby said, "Blake! Uncle Qrow! You're alright!"

Qrow said, "Of course we are. Nice job with those death stalkers, by the way."

"You were watching?" Ruby asked.

"I had to make sure you weren't in trouble, didn't I?" Qrow asked.

"Thanks, Uncle Qrow," Ruby said.

Blake dropped whoever she was holding in her arms and let them fall to the ground.

"Emerald…" Ruby said, identifying the woman lying at her feet.

Weiss said, "You don't sound surprised."

"Me and Yang ran into Mercury earlier," Ruby said.

"Then we should find Yang as well," Weiss said. "We need to make sure she's okay."

"I'm fine," Yang's voice called out.

Weiss turned and saw Yang walking up with Mercury slung over her shoulder. Weiss was horrified at first when she saw that both of Mercury's legs ended at the knee, but then she noticed metal ports, like the ones Yang's prosthetic plugged into, sticking out from his torn pants. That certainly answered a few questions Weiss had about him.

When Yang reached the group, she flung Mercury to the ground. He hit the dirt hard and let out a pained groan.

"Well, well, well," Qrow said. "Look at this. Both of Cinder's favorite lackeys."

Ruby asked, "What do we do with them?"

Qrow said, "We get them to tell us what they know about Cinder's plans."

A quiet chuckling came from the ground. Everyone looked down. Emerald was awake and had propped herself up on her hands. "You really can't figure it out? It's not that complicated. She's going to kill all the Maidens. Including you," she said, pointing to Weiss. Then she pointed at Ruby. "And especially you."

Weiss's fist clenched together. It was one thing for Emerald to threaten her, but it was quite another for her to threaten Ruby. A black glyph appeared, encircling Emerald's waist, and it lifted her up into the air.

Emerald let out a cry of alarm. She tried to free herself, but the glyph was pinning her arms to her sides and her legs were dangling uselessly in the air.

"Neat trick," Qrow said to Weiss. Then he turned to Emerald. "Let's keep this simple. Where's the Spring Maiden?"

"You think I know?" Emerald asked.

"Oh you know," Qrow said. "Cause Cinder knows."

"Even if I did, I'm not going to tell you anything!" Emerald said.

Weiss's fist tightened, and her glyph likewise squeezed harder against Emerald. "I suggest you answer the question," she said.

Emerald grimaced in pain, but she said, "Forget it!"

Weiss scowled. Deep inside of her a seething rage began rising up. She clenched her fist even tighter. Emerald's face contorted as the unyielding glyph pressed in on her. She let out a gurgling sound as the air was forced from her lungs.

Weiss watched with perverse satisfaction as Emerald thrashed helplessly. She very calmly said, "Where. Is. The Spring. Maiden?"

"It's…it's…too…late…" Emerald struggled to say.

That was not the answer Weiss wanted to hear. She felt her control slipping away. She knew it would only take a little more pressure to snap Emerald in half like a twig.

"Weiss! Stop!" Ruby called out. She put her hand over Weiss's fist.

Weiss glanced at Ruby. The fear in Ruby's eyes made her realize what she was about to do. She reluctantly loosened the glyph holding Emerald in place, just a little.

Emerald sucked in a gasping breath of air, and she slumped over as much as Weiss's glyph would allow. Ruby walked up to her and asked, "Where's Lily? Please tell us."

"I already told you. It's too late," Emerald said. "Like the drunk said, Cinder knows where she is."

Qrow let out a growling sound. "Then tell us where Cinder is!" he demanded.

"Why do you even care?" Emerald asked. "You can't stop her! No one can."

"If that's the case, what does it matter if you tell us where she is or not?" Qrow asked. "Or maybe you're worried that we can stop her."

Mercury's laughter drew everyone's attention to where he was lying on the ground. He said, "He's got a point, Emerald. If they want to go get themselves kill, why shouldn't we let them?"

Emerald frowned, but she said, "Fine! You want to die that badly? Cinder's—"

Before Emerald could get another word out, a fissure opened up in the ground behind her, and a death stalker's tail flew out of it. It lodged itself deep into her chest, punching clean through. Weiss's concentration broke from shock, and her glyph vanished. Everyone watched in horror as Emerald's lifeless body collapsed into a heap on the ground.

Mercury shouted, "Emerald? Emerald!"

The death stalker pulled the rest of its body out from its hiding place, sending up a plume of loose dirt. The grimm immediately skittered straight for the helpless Mercury, and its stinger plunged for his chest.

Yang threw herself in the way of the death stalker. She caught the tip of the creature's tail and held on tight. "Weiss! Ruby!" she shouted.

Weiss and Ruby reacted instantly. Their weapons came out, and they flew past the death stalker, cutting huge gashes in its sides. The beast tried to rear back in pain, but Yang held it in place. With no way for it to escape, one more pass by Weiss and Ruby finished it off for good.

Yang flung the now limp tail aside. She turned to Mercury with the intention of saying something, but she stopped when she saw him laughing like a madman. "I can't believe it!" he said. "She really did it! Just like she said she would!"

Weiss walked up and stood over Mercury. "Cinder obviously doesn't care about you! Tell us where she is! Now!"

"You think that was Cinder's doing?" Mercury asked.

Weiss was taken aback. "Isn't she controlling the grimm?" she asked.

"She wishes," Mercury said. "And even if she was, do you really think she's the one in charge here?"

"What?!" Weiss exclaimed. The idea that Cinder was taking orders from someone was unsettling to say the least.

Qrow muttered, "Salem."

Blake asked, "Who's Salem?"

"Someone we can't deal with right now," Qrow said. "Trust me. Cinder comes first."

Mercury said, "Go ahead then. Give it a try. Cinder's in Kuroyuri. But it's really too late."

Ruby asked, "Why's that?"

"Because the Spring Maiden's in Kuroyuri too. That's why me and Emerald were here, to distract would-be heroes like you."

"Oh-no!" Ruby exclaimed. "Uncle Qrow! How do we get to Kuroyuri?!"

"You just take the road east out of town," Qrow said. "But it's a day's journey at the least."

Mercury laughed again. "The Spring Maiden's going to die," he said. "And you know what that means."

A deadly serious look crossed Ruby's face. "Not if I have anything to say about it."

Weiss could already see in Ruby's eyes what she was planning on doing. "Ruby! No! Don't—!"

It was too late. A silver glow enveloped Ruby, and she simply vanished.

"Ruby!" Weiss shouted. "Ruby!"

* * *

Ruby ran. She ran faster than she ever had and farther than she ever had. Energy poured into her semblance, pushing the boundaries of what was possible. Her power as a Maiden resonated inside of her. She could feel it clearly now, like it was something she could literally touch.

Ruby had no idea where she was or how long she'd been running. It could've been minutes or it could've been hours. The terrain around her was an indistinct smear of colors. She may have been able to move at incredible speeds, but she couldn't make herself think any faster. It had always been a limitation of her semblance, but she'd learned to deal with it. Right now she didn't need her eyes to figure out where she was going anyway. She knew all too well what Cinder's aura felt like, and now that her power was fully awakened, homing in on it was easy.

Something slapped Ruby hard across her face. It might have been a leaf or a low-hanging tree branch or something equally flimsy, but moving as fast as she was, it felt like a boulder had hit her. She stumbled and almost lost her balance, but she quickly recovered. She kept pushing herself forward. The Spring Maiden was still alive. Ruby could feel it. She had to reach her.

Visions of flames from Winter's funeral pyre flitting across Weiss's face seeped into Ruby's mind. She wouldn't let something like that happen to anyone else. She wouldn't let Lily's loved ones, whoever they might be, go through what Weiss was going through. She'd failed to save Penny and Pyrrha and Winter. She wasn't about to fail again.

The color of the world around Ruby shifted. There were more grays and blacks now. Ruby wondered if she'd made it to Kuroyuri. She had no idea, and she wasn't about to stop and check. All she knew was that she was rapidly closing in on Cinder.

Cinder's aura drew dangerously close, and Ruby slid to a halt. The world snapped back into focus. Cinder was standing there, not ten feet away, but a tortured scream made Ruby's heart stop.

A young woman was down on her knees in front of Cinder. There was a grimm-like creature latched onto her face, trailing a thin fiber that was attached to a glove on Cinder's hand. Ruby saw the abject fear in the woman's green eyes just before they closed for good.

Cinder clenched her fist as the woman slumped to the ground. Her glove disintegrated in a manner not unlike a grimm's body did when it died. A glow surrounded Cinder as her aura ignited. She turned toward Ruby and smiled in a way that caused Ruby's blood to run cold.

"Hello, Ruby Rose," Cinder said. "You're just in time."

* * *

 _Author's Note:_ _Hey, what do you know! I got this chapter out before Yang had her reunion with Raven in canon. I was really, really hoping to. It'll be interesting to see how my version compares to Volume 5's version. I assume they'll be nothing alike._

 _For the sake of posterity, I should note that I'm completely making up my own ideas about how Raven's Tribe operates. I barely know anything about it from the actual show yet, but that does leave me free to tailor it to my needs._

 _I initially envisioned the Spring Maiden having a bigger role in this story, but that was back when I thought she was going to be introduced in Volume 4. She was always going to die though. So in a way, I'm glad I didn't have to use the canon version._

 _I suspect those of you who've read my story_ A Summer Vacation in Menagerie _are wondering if it takes place in the same continuity as this story. The short answer is no. I guess if you squint a bit, the two stories aren't necessarily incompatible, but I never intended for them to fit together._

 _And now for a bit of English trivia. According to the Internet, the proper collective noun for a group of scorpions (i.e. death stalkers) is "bed" or "nest". I didn't really like how that read, so I used "clutter", the collective noun for spiders. Another fun fact. The collective noun for ravens is "unkindness". Hmm. Appropriate. =D_

 _Well that's all for me until I get the next chapter done. Just as a reminder, I'm live blogging Volume 5 over on tumblr (electronicyarn). If you're interested in my biased opinions, that's where you can find them._

 _As always, I welcome constructive criticism. Please feel free to leave a review. And if you like what you've read, taking the time to favorite and/or follow really helps me out. You can also find me on tumblr (electronicyarn) if you want to send me a message or be notified of updates._


	4. The Waning Days of Summer

_Author's Note:_ _So it turns out that Raven's semblance doesn't quite work the way I thought it did. She can't just make portals to wherever she pleases. Oh well. Add that onto the list of ways this story differs from canon._

* * *

 **Chapter 4: The Waning Days of Summer**

PART I

Kuroyuri had been a thriving town once, but no more. Years of neglect hung heavily on its decaying structures, and its former residents were long gone. Only two souls were left alive in the abandoned settlement, standing among the ruins of the town square.

Cinder was silently gloating over Lily's lifeless body. Ruby was absolutely aghast. The specters of Pyrrha and Winter flitted into her mind. She could almost feel the wind at the top of Beacon's tower that had carried away Pyrrha's ashes and almost see the flames that had swallowed up Winter. Ruby truly understood now. Cinder was a monster, worse than any grimm. It was time for Ruby to prove that she really was a huntress and save the world from Cinder once and for all.

Determination filled Ruby. She felt the Summer Maiden's power flowing through her, fueled by her horror over what Cinder had done. But this time, Ruby didn't let it just explode outward. She drew Crescent Rose and very deliberately channeled her power into it. A thin sheen of silver light formed along the blade, and the gun barrel began to glow. This time, Ruby was in control.

Cinder gave Ruby a sinister smile. "You really think you're strong enough to fight destiny?" she asked.

Ruby didn't answer, and an instant later, she simply wasn't there anymore. Rose petals scattered across the aged paving stones of the square where she'd been standing as she ran for Cinder at top speed.

Ruby was keenly aware of what had happened the last time she'd tried to use her semblance against Cinder. So she circled around and sprinted at Cinder from behind, hoping to catch her off guard. Unfortunately, just as Ruby lifted Crescent Rose, something collided with her stomach. Her body jerked to a jarring halt, and her head snapped forward. Her feet left the ground, and she went flying backward through the air.

Ruby tumbled helplessly across the square. She came to a stop, wheezing in pain. She hadn't even seen what had hit her, and given how fast she'd been moving, that was more than a little worrying.

Ruby jumped back to her feet. Cinder wasn't even facing Ruby, but her leg was hanging in the air, still extended in a kick. She wanted Ruby to know without any doubt exactly what had just happened.

Cinder gently lowered her foot back to the ground. Then she turned to face Ruby with a smug grin, mocking her.

Ruby tightened her grip on Crescent Rose. Cinder's unnerving ability to hit her when she was running super-fast wasn't a fluke like she'd hoped. That was going to make things difficult, Ruby Knew, but she wouldn't give up. She took off running again. A new plan was already forming in her head. Even if Cinder could keep track of her, she still couldn't move as fast as her. She only needed to fake Cinder out once to land a good hit on her.

Unfortunately for Ruby, she never got a chance to put her plan into action. Before she'd even gotten halfway to Cinder, a column of fire sprung to life directly in her path. Ruby desperately swerved away from the towering inferno, just barely avoiding it. The heat from the flames licked at her back as she zoomed past.

Two more flaming pillars immediately erupted along Ruby's path. She slid to a halt just in time, but an ominous red glow began building at her feet. She sped off in the other direction as more and more fires sprung to life all around her. She weaved and dodged, dancing through the flames, escaping them by mere inches.

Ruby did her best to avoid the ever-growing inferno, and her best was very good, but eventually, she found herself completely boxed in. There simply wasn't anywhere safe left to run.

One last geyser of searing-hot flame exploded at Ruby's feet. It completely enveloped her and propelled her high into the air. Her aura pushed back against the boiling heat as best it could, but there was only so much it could do. Ruby tried to find some way to gain control of her trajectory, but there was nothing to grab on to and nothing to push off of.

Before Ruby even reached the apex of her flight, a fist made of stone formed in the air above her. It smashed into her with a colossal punch, sending her spiraling downward. She hit the ground with enough force to crack the paving stones.

Any doubts Ruby had regarding the extent of Cinder's power were long gone. A great pain throbbed in her head, and her ears rang. She blindly reached out until her hand found solid ground. She pushed herself to her feet, shaking out her head. Miraculously, she still had a hold of Crescent Rose, but that seemed like cold comfort considering what she was up against.

The sound of footsteps drew Ruby's attention. She looked and saw Cinder slowly walking up. The expression on Cinder's face made it clear that she was convinced she'd already won. She said, "Poor little girl. If only you'd gotten here a minute sooner. You might have been able to stop me. But now it's too late."

Frustration welled up in Ruby. Cinder was right. Ever since the fall of Beacon it seemed that no matter how fast she ran, she was always just a little bit too slow. She'd been too late to save Penny and Pyrrha and Winter and now Lily. Cinder was always one step ahead of her. What good was it being the Summer Maiden if she could never get to where she was needed in time?

All of a sudden, Ruby felt something stirring inside of her. Her emotions touched her power yet again, rousing it to new heights. She fixed Cinder with a look and said, "It's not too late yet. Just you wait and see."

The air seemed to shimmer around Ruby for a brief moment as her power fed into her semblance. Then she took off running, faster than a bullet from a gun.

Ruby had run fast before, but something was different this time. The world around her wasn't a blur but crystal clear. She could see Cinder's leg lifting up to kick her, but it looked like it was moving in slow motion.

Ruby understood what was happening. She wasn't just running faster; she was thinking faster too. Her mind had finally caught up with her semblance. She didn't know how or why, but it must have had something to do with her power as a Maiden.

Ruby easily avoided Cinder's kick. She slashed at her with Crescent Rose as she zoomed past. Then she watched the reaction unfold at a snail's pace. Cinder's aura lit up where she'd been struck. The glow slowly spread out across her body. Cinder's expression gradually contorted into a look of shock. And her leg, caught mid kick, went careening off-target.

Ruby didn't wait to see what happened next. She ran back around toward Cinder and struck her from behind. Again, Cinder's aura lit up. Her body started lurching forward as the high-speed attack imparted its momentum. Then Ruby zoomed around and hit Cinder again. Cinder looked completely enraged now, but Ruby was finally too fast for her to fight back.

Ruby kept attacking, but Cinder's aura, reinforced by the power of two Maidens, held strong. Ruby began to feel a strain. It was like something was tugging on the back of her head, and the longer she kept running, the worse it got.

At first Ruby thought her power was weakening, but she quickly realized that wasn't the case. Her power and her semblance were holding up just fine. It was her body that was reaching its limit. Simply put, she wasn't designed to perceive the world at super speeds. Maybe someday, with training and practice, she could sustain this longer, but she knew that for today, time was running out.

Ruby ran right up to Cinder and planted her feet, but she didn't release her semblance just yet. Maybe if she wasn't actually running it would buy her precious time. She slashed at Cinder again and again and again. A veritable light show danced over Cinder's aura, but still it held. Cinder's arm started slowly moving toward Ruby, but Ruby held her ground. She could sense Cinder's aura gradually weakening. She just needed to keep up her attack a little longer.

All of a sudden, the world snapped back to normal. Cinder's hand shot out and clamped onto Ruby's neck. Ruby gurgled in alarm as she was lifted into the air.

A wall made of rock shot up from the ground behind Ruby, and Cinder threw her against it. Ruby let out a yelp as she collided with the rock. The impact knocked Crescent Rose from her hands. Before she could even try and collect herself, Cinder lunged at her. Cinder's fist slammed into Ruby, and she began punching Ruby with monstrous strength.

Absolutely seething rage boiled in Cinder's eyes as she relentlessly pummeled Ruby over and over again. Ruby threw her hands up, trying to defend herself, but it was no use. Her aura began to falter, and her body screamed in pain as Cinder laid into her.

Just when Ruby thought she couldn't take anymore, the rocks holding her in place began to fracture. They couldn't stand up to the beating that Cinder was giving her, and one last punch sent Ruby crashing through them.

Ruby felt her aura break. She felt her body hit the ground, hard. Dizzy and disoriented, she tried to stand, but all she managed to do was lift her head. Her vision was blurry, but she saw Cinder walking toward her with another glove clenched in her hand.

There was no question in Ruby's mind what was about to happen. She wondered if she should feel afraid, but the inevitability of the situation made fear seem pointless. Her thoughts turned to Weiss. She didn't even want to think about how distraught Weiss would be, but she took comfort in the fact that she knew Weiss was strong enough to survive. She briefly wondered who would take her place in Weiss's life. She hoped someone would. She didn't even want to imagine Weiss without a best friend to stand by her side.

Cinder stopped in front of Ruby. Her hand was angrily clutching her glove. "Any last words?" she asked with complete contempt.

Suddenly, Ruby felt something, a familiar sensation tingling in the back of her head. A weary but triumphant smile crossed her lips. "Yeah. I got some words. Actually, I've got just one. Duck."

Cinder's eyes narrowed, but then a roaring sound overhead made her look up. Utter shock filled her face. "WHAT!?" she exclaimed.

* * *

PART II

Weiss would have been pacing back and forth had she had more space to move about. But as it was, she and her companions were crammed into the small cargo bay in General Ironwood's transport as it flew swiftly through the skies over Mistral. Ironwood, along with Taiyang, had arrived in it at Oniyuri not long after Ruby had left. They'd found enough clues to Lily's whereabouts in Kuchinashi to lead them there. Fortunately, Weiss had been able to impress upon them the urgency of getting to Kuroyuri as quickly as possible.

Blake was standing to one side of Weiss in the cramped cargo bay. She was keeping an eye on Mercury, although Mercury seemed to have lost his will to do much of anything. He was sitting slumped up against a wall. Weiss wasn't sure if it was the death of Emerald or the loss of his artificial legs that had put him in such an unresponsive state. Had he not been working for Cinder, she might have even felt sorry for him.

Over on Weiss's other side, Yang was attempting to comfort her frantic father. Taiyang had not taken well to the news of Ruby running off to face Cinder alone, and he wasn't the only one who was worried. Qrow had hardly said a word since Ruby had left. Right now he was standing by himself in the back corner of the cargo bay, looking sullen even for him.

Weiss didn't blame Taiyang or Qrow for their emotional states. She was consumed with worry herself. She could still feel Ruby's aura far off in the distance, but that didn't mean that Ruby was safe.

Taiyang's hands nervously wrung together, and his foot tapped with an impatient rhythm. He called up to the cockpit, "Are we there yet, Ironwood?!"

"Not yet," Ironwood said.

Yang said, "Don't worry, Dad. The Spring Maiden's in Kuroyuri too! Between her and Ruby, Cinder's as good as beat!"

"I guess that's true," Taiyang said. "It's got to be, right? Qrow! You know all about Maidens! Two are better than one, right?"

Qrow said, "That depends on if Lily's been keeping up with her training. But yeah, she and Ruby should have a chance."

Weiss's expression darkened. Unfortunately, she didn't have the luxury of desperate optimism like everyone else. She didn't want to take away their fragile hope, but she felt they deserved to know the truth. She said, "The Spring Maiden is dead."

All eyes turned to Weiss. The effect of her statement was immediate. Dread seeped into the cargo bay until the air was thick with it. Up in the cockpit, Ironwood turned in his seat so he could look down toward Weiss. "Are you certain about that?" he asked.

Weiss nodded. "I'm certain. Her aura's gone."

Ironwood looked like someone had just read him his death sentence. He turned back to the controls and refocused on piloting the airship.

Yang asked, "How do you know that!? Never mind! What about Ruby?!"

"She's still alive," Weiss said.

Yang was obviously expecting more, but there wasn't anything else Weiss could tell her.

Qrow asked, "Do you know if Cinder got Lily's power?"

"I can't be certain," Weiss said. "But I believe she did."

Yang looked up to the cockpit. "Ironwood! You got anything here that will help us fight Cinder?"

"There's a munitions locker by your feet," Ironwood said. "Take whatever you need."

Yang glanced down. Like Ironwood had said, there was a small storage chest on the floor next to her. She opened it up and started sifting through its contents. "Dust rounds," she said. "Come here, Blake. We can use these."

Blake glanced at Mercury, but it was obvious that he wasn't about to try anything. She pulled out her sword and walked over next to Yang. The two of them started loading up on the specialized ammunition.

Taiyang was looking more and more agitated by the second. He called up to Ironwood, "Can't you make this thing go any faster?"

"If I could, I would be," Ironwood said.

Taiyang slammed his fist against the side of the cargo bay. "Well do something!" he said. "My little girl's life is at stake!"

"I'm already pushing the engines as hard as they'll go," Ironwood said. "I'm sorry."

An idea suddenly came to Weiss. She berated herself for not thinking of it earlier. "I can make us go faster," she said.

"You can?" Taiyang asked.

Weiss nodded. She lowered herself into a sitting position, took a deep breath, and closed her eyes. A yellow glow surrounded her, and it rapidly spread across the cargo bay and up into the cockpit. Outside, a giant glyph appeared underneath the airship.

Taiyang looked confused. "What's she doing?" he asked.

"Oooh boy…" Yang said. "Everybody hold on tight!"

Weiss's eyes flew open, radiating a golden light. Her time dilation effect suddenly took hold. The transport lurched in the air as Ironwood struggled to maintain control. It pitched and banked, jostling its occupants about, but eventually, it leveled out.

Weiss felt energy rushing out of her in torrents. Within a few seconds, she felt like she'd run a marathon, but she forced herself to hold on. She focused on Ruby's distant aura and did her best to push her ever mounting exhaustion out of her mind. The Strain pressed down on her like a crushing weight, but she didn't succumb to it.

The passage of time quickly became meaningless to Weiss. All that mattered was that Ruby's aura was drawing closer and closer. Weiss didn't let go of her semblance until the transport was practically on top of it.

The time dilation effect faded, making the airship shutter violently. Ironwood shouted, "We're in Kuroyuri!"

Yang slid one last Dust round into one of her gauntlets and said, "Then let's go!"

Yang ran to join Qrow, who was already by the cargo bay's door. Blake followed after her, but she stopped in front of Weiss. "Are you alright?" she asked.

"I'll manage," Weiss said. Blake offered her a hand. Weiss thought about declining the help, but she decided to let Blake assist her to her feet.

Taiyang, who had walked up behind Weiss, put his hand on her shoulder. Weiss turned and found him looking directly at her. "Thank you," he said solemnly. Weiss could only nod in response.

Blake, Weiss, and Taiyang joined Yang and Qrow by the cargo bay door. Qrow hit the button to open it up. Kuroyuri lay before them. It looked just as desolate as Oniyuri had been.

Weiss could feel Cinder's aura below them. It was stronger than ever, so strong that it was all but overpowering Ruby's. Weiss strained her eyes, trying to spot Ruby and Cinder's exact location.

"There!" Weiss said, pointing at the town square. She could make out two swatches of red among Kuroyuri's somber pallet of gray.

Yang didn't say a word. She just leaped out of the transport. Weiss followed right behind her. The wind hollowed as it whipped past her ears. Ordinarily, she would've started using her glyphs to slow her fall, but not this time. This time she had another idea.

Weiss and Yang were plummeting straight for Cinder. Weiss squeezed Myrtenaster's trigger, letting Dust from all six of its chambers charge the blade. It wasn't something she did very often as it wasn't an efficient use of Dust, but the situation more than warranted it. Myrtenaster began to glow a pure white, and the glow only got brighter as Weiss added her own power to the mix.

Weiss was close enough to the ground now to clearly make out Ruby and Cinder. Ruby was lying flat on her back, and Cinder was standing over her. Suddenly, Cinder looked up. Weiss even thought she heard Cinder shout something just an instant before Yang planted her fist in Cinder's face.

There was a boom as Ember Celica fired. Yang's momentum carried her past Cinder, but Weiss was hot on her heels. She slashed at the reeling Cinder, unleashing every last bit of energy that had been stored up in her sword. There was an instant's delay, but then a blindingly bright flash of light erupted over Cinder.

Weiss hit the ground hard. She'd intended to land on her feet, but boosting an entire airship, not to mention empowering her blade, had taken far more out of her than she'd anticipated. She rolled across the square, but her aura spared her from any real harm.

When Weiss got back to her feet, she didn't bother looking back to see what her and Yang's attacks had done to Cinder. She just ran straight for Ruby. Panic filled Weiss as she drew close. Ruby was still on the ground. Crescent Rose was lying right beside her, but she wasn't reaching for it. "Ruby! Ruby, say something!" Weiss shouted.

"Weiss…" Ruby mumbled.

Weiss fell to her knees beside Ruby. Ruby had obviously taken a beating, but to Weiss's relief, it didn't look like she had any injuries that her aura couldn't heal.

"Ruby!" Weiss said.

"Weiss. You're okay," Ruby said weakly.

"I'm okay!?" Weiss exclaimed. "Why did you run off like that, you dolt!?"

"I was the only one who could get to Lily in time," Ruby said.

Weiss knew Ruby technically wasn't wrong, but that didn't mean she'd made the right decision. However, there would be time to argue about that later.

"Ruby!" Taiyang's voice shouted. He came sprinting up, followed closely by Qrow. Weiss hadn't even seen them land. Taiyang kneeled down and cradled Ruby in his arms. "Oh my precious girl!"

"Hey, Dad," Ruby said. "And hey, Uncle Qrow. How'd you get here so fast?"

"The hard way," Qrow said. "Don't worry about it, Kiddo." He was obviously trying to play it cool, but Weiss could sense from his aura just how concerned he was.

Yang and Blake came running up too. Anger spilled into Yang's eyes when she saw Ruby, and an alarmed look crossed Blake's face.

Taiyang said, "We've got to get Ruby out of here!"

"No, Dad!" Ruby said. "I have to stay and fight!"

Yang said, "Ruby! You can't even stand!"

Before Ruby could argue, the clicking of heels drew everyone's attention. They all turned and saw Cinder approaching them. Despite the hits she'd taken from Yang and Weiss, she looked unharmed. From her demeanor, she appeared to be calm, but Weiss could feel rage rolling off of her like an out of control fire.

Weiss leaped up and put herself between Ruby and Cinder, sword at the ready.

Cinder, undeterred, continued walking forward. She said, "Don't think for a second you can stop me. That girl's power belongs to me! As does yours!"

To Weiss's surprise, Yang grinned. "Not without this it doesn't," she said as she held up something in her hand. It was a white glove. "You dropped it when I punched you."

Cinder looked utterly shocked. She patted her pockets like she didn't believe what she was seeing, but she came up empty. She gritted her teeth and said, "Give. That. Back."

Yang grabbed the glove firmly in both hands. With a mighty pull, she ripped it in half. "Oops," she said as the glove dissolved. "Looks like I can't."

Cinder's response wasn't so much one of words as it was a guttural growl. Flames roared to life around her as her rage was made manifest.

Taiyang stood, and Qrow and Blake raised their weapons, but Yang beat them all to the literal punch. She fired off a shot from Ember Celica. It whizzed toward Cinder, glowing a cyan color, and when it collided with her, a clump of ice sprung into existence.

The ice began to melt immediately, but Yang fired more and more Dust rounds at Cinder until she was trapped completely in a thick block of ice.

Blake said, "That won't hold Cinder for long."

Taiyang said, "It'll hold her long enough." He turned to Weiss. "Get Ruby out of here!"

"But—!" Weiss said.

Qrow said, "It's you and Ruby Cinder wants. If she gets either one of you, she'll really be unstoppable."

The ice block holding Cinder began to tremble. Cracks formed on its surface, and rivulets of meltwater began pouring off of it.

"Weiss!" Yang shouted. "Get Ruby clear! We'll hold Cinder off!"

The ice block exploded in a spray of frozen shards. Cinder was a shadow, silhouetted by the lingering mist of water vapor, but Weiss didn't need to see Cinder clearly to imagine the expression that must have been on her face. She could feel the absolute hatred resonating in Cinder's aura.

Weiss thrust her finger downward. An oversized white glyph appeared at her feet. It was big enough to hold Weiss, Ruby, and even Crescent Rose. With a flick of Weiss's wrist, the glyph dragged them away.

The glyph pulled Weiss and Ruby all the way to the edge of the square. Then it vanished. Weiss reached down and tried to help Ruby up. "Come on, Ruby," she said. "Your father's right. We have to get you away from Cinder."

Ruby resisted Weiss. "No!" she said. "You and me have to get back there!"

"You're in no shape to be doing anything of the sort," Weiss said.

"You don't understand!" Ruby said. "Cinder's too strong! We're the only ones who can stop her now!"

"I know," Weiss said.

"Then why aren't you helping everyone?!" Ruby asked. "Cinder's going to kill them!"

"I am going to help them," Weiss said. "But not before I know that you're safe! You're more important to me!"

"Weiss…" Ruby said. She glanced down at Crescent Rose. "Alright. I'll keep myself safe. But you keep yourself safe too! You heard Uncle Qrow. Cinder can't get either one of us."

"She won't," Weiss said. "I promise."

Ruby picked up her scythe and used it as a makeshift crutch to haul herself to her feet. "Then go kick Cinder's butt!" she said.

Weiss nodded. She turned back to the center of the square. Everyone else was fighting Cinder like she knew they would be. She was mildly surprised to see that no one was dead yet. Yang, Blake, Taiyang, and Qrow had improvised a strategy of sorts. Yang was hampering Cinder's movements by constantly firing cyan Dust rounds at her. Blake was using the red Dust she'd loaded into Gambol Shroud to send a stream of fiery, explosive clones running at Cinder. And Taiyang and Qrow were using the chaos and confusion of the fight to take deadly-accurate potshots at Cinder.

Weiss started sprinting back toward the fight, but before she could get there, Cinder's patience ran out. Cinder stomped her foot down. A ring of jagged rocks erupted from the ground and rippled outward across the square like a wave in a pond. The razor-sharp rocks crashed into Yang, Blake, Qrow, and Taiyang. They were all bowled off their feet, and the rocks began carrying them away and chewing up their auras.

Weiss flung her hand forward as the wave of rocks raced toward her as well. A white glyph appeared in front of her. The rocks smashed against it, breaking apart and leaving her unscathed.

Weiss twirled her fingers, and her glyph's pattern shifted until it became a summoning glyph. It passed over her, encasing her in glowing, ethereal armor.

Unfortunately, Weiss could already feel the strain her summon was placing on her. She was still drained from creating a time dilation glyph powerful enough to encompass a whole airship. But she refused to give up, and she refused to show weakness. She lifted Myrtenaster, and light once again sheathed it.

Weiss pointed her sword at Cinder, but Cinder didn't look impressed or even amused. Her usual air of arrogance was gone. In fact, Weiss had never seen Cinder look so deadly serious, but Weiss didn't let herself be intimidated. She used her power to float up an inch off the ground. Then she flew at Cinder sword first.

Myrtenaster slashed at Cinder, leaving a trail of white light in the air behind it, but the blow didn't faze Cinder at all. Weiss wheeled around to attack again. Cinder barely made a move to defend herself, and Weiss took full advantage. She literally flew circles around Cinder. Yet even with free rein to strike blow after blow, Weiss couldn't seem to hack through Cinder's aura.

As Weiss came about to attack yet again, Cinder's hand shot out. She seized Weiss's sword arm and held it in an iron grip. Weiss jerked in the air as Cinder forcefully pulled her back down to Remnant. Weiss's armored feet hit the ground. She struggled to free herself, but Cinder's grasp was unyielding.

Cinder said, "I am DONE with this foolishness! Your power will be mine!"

Cinder brought up her free hand. It began to glow an evil shade of red, so dark that it was almost black. Then it thrust forward and lodged itself in Weiss's armor.

Weiss yelped in alarm, but fortunately, Cinder hadn't penetrated her armor completely. Weiss was unharmed, but she could still feel the incredible heat rolling off of Cinder's hand. She knew that unless she did something, she wouldn't remain unharmed for long.

Weiss grabbed Cinder by the wrist. She pulled with all her might, but Cinder didn't budge. The heat coming off of Cinder's hand intensified, and ever so slowly, she began to pry Weiss's armor apart.

"Your friend is going to regret destroying that glove," Cinder said. "But not as much as you are. I promise you, by the time I'm done, I _will_ be the last thing you think of."

With one last pull, Cinder wrenched Weiss's armor open. Weiss tried to hold on to the summon, but she had no chance. Her armor vanished in a flash of light. The backlash from its violent destruction hit Weiss like a falling boulder.

Cinder lifted her still glowing hand. Weiss didn't even want to contemplate what Cinder was about to do to her, but suddenly, a thin, silver light streaked through the air and lashed Cinder across her face.

Cinder's head whipped to the side from the force of the sniper shot. She paused for a second, although she didn't let go of Weiss.

"Ruby!" Weiss said. She frantically looked around, fearful that Ruby had come back to help. Fortunately, Ruby was nowhere to be seen. She must have taken the shot from afar.

Cinder's head slowly turned in the direction the shot had come from. She started to shout, "That impudent little—!"

Weiss didn't give Cinder a chance to finish. She conjured up a red glyph right in between the two of them, as powerful of one as she could manage. She detonated it without a second thought.

The massive blast sent Weiss and Cinder flying apart in opposite directions. Weiss's aura struggled to protect her from her own attack. When she hit the ground, she hit it hard, and she felt it.

Weiss's head was spinning, but before she could even try to get back to her feet, a strong pair of hands pulled her up. Weiss thought it was Cinder for a panicked moment, but then she looked and saw Yang standing there. Blake, Qrow, and Taiyang were all there too. All of their auras felt weak to Weiss. Cinder's ring of rocks had done a number on them.

Qrow said to Weiss, "I thought Tai told you to get out of here."

Weiss asked, "Did you really expect me to listen?"

"No," Qrow said. "Schnees are always too stubborn for their own good."

"Uh, guys…" Yang said.

Across the town square, Cinder was already back on her feet and marching toward the group. Weiss didn't need to be able to feel Cinder's aura to sense her murderous intentions. It was plain to see on her face.

Taiyang raised his rifle. He asked, "So does anyone have any brilliant ideas?"

"We fight," Weiss said. It wasn't like her to not have more of a plan than that, but it was the only thing they could do. She doubted running would work at this point, and mercy wasn't in Cinder's nature.

Suddenly, a roaring of engines sounded overhead. Ironwood's transport swooped in out of nowhere and opened fire on Cinder with its cannons. Cinder reflexively shielded herself with her arms as explosive shots rained down around her.

The transport zoomed away, but it immediately circled around in the air for another pass.

Cinder lifted her hand. She extended a single finger, and energy began gathering on its tip.

Ironwood's transport came in low and fast, but before it could fire again, twin beams of energy leaped off of Cinder's finger. They whizzed forward and plowed through both of the transport's engines with flawless accuracy.

Thick, black smoke belched out of the transport's engines. The ship shuddered in the air as it lost thrust. Its nose came up in a vain effort to stay airborne, but then it belly flopped onto the ground with a colossal crashing sound. It continued moving forward across the ground, tearing up the square as it went and sending flaming debris flying every which way.

"Jimmy!" Qrow shouted.

Qrow looked like he was about to run toward the crashing transport, but Taiyang threw his arm around him, holding him back. "No! It's too dangerous!" he said.

The transport was heading directly for Cinder, but Cinder stood her ground. Her eyes seemed to be daring the airship to hit her.

The transport slowed as it continued to break apart. It came to a lurching halt just a few feet short of where Cinder was standing and threw up one last cloud of dust and smoke.

A stillness fell over the square. For a moment, the only sound was the burning of the fires left in the transport's wake. But as the dust settled and the smoke cleared, a banging came from inside the crashed airship. A section of its hull shuttered; then it came loose and fell to the ground.

A singed and bruised Mercury crawled his way out of the transport. He managed to pull himself free of the wreck before collapsing in a fit of coughing.

Surprised registered on Cinder's face. She started walking toward the injured Mercury.

Taiyang whispered to Qrow, "Now's our chance to get Ironwood, while Cinder's distracted."

"Right. Let's hurry," Qrow whispered back. He looked sharply at Weiss, Yang, and Blake. "You three. Stay here."

Yang gave Qrow an incensed look, but she whispered, "Alright. Fine."

Weiss hissed, "Be careful!"

Qrow whispered, "It's way too late for that." He motioned at Taiyang.

Qrow and Taiyang started quietly making their way toward the transport. Weiss quickly lost sight of them in all the smoke still rising from the fires.

Up ahead, Cinder knelt down beside Mercury. She lifted his head up with her hand and said something to him. Weiss couldn't quite make out Cinder's words, but it sounded like she was asking Mercury about Emerald.

Weiss was about to ask Blake if she could hear what was being said, but the answer quickly became moot. Whatever Mercury's response to Cinder was, it had a profound effect on her. Her mouth opened in shock for a minute, but then it clenched shut. She let Mercury's head slip from her hand and stood. Her fists clenched. It was hard to see from where Weiss was standing, but it almost looked like Cinder was quaking with rage.

An energy ignited over Cinder's aura, intense enough that it burned far brighter than any of the fires. The sky above her darkened as storm clouds spontaneously formed. A bolt of lightning streaked down from the heavens and crashed into the ground. It struck so close that Weiss felt the trailing clap of thunder in her chest.

Cinder slowly turned, her eyes blazing with power. She brought her hands up, and wind began circling around her until a whirling tornado shot up around her.

Weiss and Yang stood in mute horror, paralyzed by what they saw, but Blake managed to say, "We need to get out of here."

Weiss responded, "Yes. That would be a good idea."

Weiss couldn't see Cinder anymore, but the tornado was creeping toward her, Yang, and Blake. Suddenly, the skies opened up, and a rain of smoldering rocks the size of fists began pelting the three of them. Yang and Blake covered their heads, trying to find some protection from the hail of rocks.

Weiss lifted her hand. A large, white glyph formed above her, shielding her and her teammates, but she knew the refuge was only a temporary one. Cinder wasn't just a Maiden anymore. She was a force of Nature, and she was coming right for them. Weiss had never put much credence in ancient myths regarding the end of the world, but she could only describe what was happening right now as apocalyptic.

Yang shouted, "What do we do!?"

Weiss shouted back, "We have to get somewhere safe!"

"Like where!?" Yang asked.

As if to answer Yang's question, a font of energy burst into existence right behind her. Raven stepped through it, sword in hand.

"Mom!?" Yang exclaimed, turning around.

Raven said, "If you want to live, this is your chance."

"Ruby!" Weiss shouted. Her head turned to the edge of the square. "We can't leave Ruby behind!"

Yang added, "Or Dad and Uncle Qrow!"

"Then hurry!" Raven shouted. "I'm not going to stay here long enough for Cinder to kill me!"

Weiss said, "I'll get Ruby! You two get the others!"

Yang said, "Right! Come on, Blake!"

Weiss's glyph vanished as she took off running toward where she'd left Ruby. The unnatural rain was intensifying, but she didn't care. Her eyes frantically scanned the deserted buildings ahead of her. "Ruby! Ruby where are you?!"

"I'm here, Weiss!" Ruby's voice called out. She hobbled out of a building, still leaning against Crescent Rose.

"You said you were going to keep yourself safe!" Weiss scolded. "Why did you shoot at Cinder?!"

"She was going to hurt you," Ruby said.

Weiss knew she didn't have time to debate with Ruby. She said, "Come on! Raven's here. We're leaving."

Ruby folded up Crescent Rose and stowed it on her back. "I'm ready," she said.

Weiss put an arm around Ruby and helped her jog back into the town square. She shielded Ruby from the falling rocks with her own body. They made their way back toward Raven. Fortunately, Raven hadn't abandoned them just yet. She was hiding from the pelting rain behind her portal, letting the rocks fall into it instead of hitting her.

"Get in!" Weiss said to Ruby as she pulled her up to the portal.

Ruby asked, "What about Yang and Dad and—?"

"I'll see to them!" Weiss interrupted. Then she practically threw Ruby into the portal before she could disagree further.

Raven said, "They'd better hurry."

Weiss said, "Yang's still out there! Would you really leave your own daughter behind?"

"I've done it before," Raven said.

Sadly, Weiss knew Raven wasn't lying. She stepped out from behind the cover of the portal, determined to make sure that everyone escaped. Between the wind and smoke and rocks, it was almost impossible to see anything. And the tornado was drawing very close.

Suddenly, Weiss spotted five figures running out of the haze. At the front of the group, Qrow was assisting Ironwood. Behind him was Blake, and behind her were Yang and Taiyang.

"Hurry!" Weiss shouted, frantically gesturing at them.

Qrow got to the portal first. He pulled Ironwood through it with him. But before anyone else could get to safety, a long chain made of ash whipped out from the storm. It was heading straight for Yang. Taiyang saw it coming. He shoved his daughter out of the way, but the chain coiled around him instead. It pulled him off his feet and dragged him away.

"Dad!" Yang shouted, immediately turning around.

"Yang!" Weiss shouted. "We have to go!"

"I'm not going to leave him behind!" Yang shouted.

Before Yang could run off, Weiss lunged for her. She grabbed her and started dragging her toward the portal.

Yang resisted Weiss with all of her considerable strength. "No! Let me go!" she desperately shouted.

A moment later, Blake was there and had grabbed onto Yang as well. Then Raven joined in too.

"No! No!" Yang shouted, frantically struggling. But Weiss, Blake, and Raven overpowered her and hauled her back.

"Dad! Daaad!" Yang shouted as she and everyone else vanished through the portal.

* * *

PART III

Yang had no idea where Raven's portal had taken her and her companions. Judging by the terrain, they were still in Mistral, but they certainly weren't in Kuroyuri anymore, or any other settlement for that matter. Qrow was busy making sure that Ironwood was okay, and Weiss was doing the same for Ruby. Blake, however, was looking right at Yang with an expression that would have had Yang concerned if she'd been looking in Blake's direction. But Yang was not looking in Blake's direction. Right now Raven had her full and undivided attention.

"How could you do that!?" Yang shouted at Raven.

Raven said, "I see your father never taught you gratitude."

"Gratitude!?" Yang exclaimed. "You just left Dad behind to die! What!? Abandoning him once wasn't enough!?"

"I saved your life, Yang!" Raven said. "You and your friends should all be dead!"

"I thought I only got one free save from you," Yang said. "So much for your stupid rule."

Anger flashed across Raven's face. She drew her sword lightning-quick. Yang took a step back in alarm, but Raven didn't attack her. Instead, she turned and slashed the air. A portal opened. "There!" she said. "That will take you back to Kuroyuri! If you really want to die that badly, there's your opportunity!"

Yang's eyes flicked back and forth between the portal and Raven. Her rational side knew that it would be suicide to go back and try to save Dad. She knew that in all likelihood he was already dead. But her emotional side was screaming at her to go and try anyway.

Suddenly, Blake stepped in between Yang and Raven. "Stop it, both of you!" she said. "This isn't helping!"

Yang and Raven both glared at Blake, but Blake wasn't intimidated. She said, "You two can bicker like children if you want, but not right now! We have more important things to worry about! Like Cinder!"

Yang started to say, "Blake, I—"

"No!" Blake interrupted. "I don't want to hear it!"

Yang was taken aback. Blake never raised her voice unless she was truly upset about something. And it sounded to Yang like Blake was mad at _her_ more than anything else. Yang couldn't for the life of her figure out why. She could usually read Blake like an open book, but right now she had no idea what Blake might be thinking. And that bothered her so much more than just Blake snapping at her.

Raven sheathed her sword, and her portal vanished. She said, "Despite what you believe, Cinder isn't the real problem."

"You've said that before," Yang said absently. She was still looking at Blake, trying to figure out why Blake was angry with her. But then she turned back to Raven. "You're talking about Salem. Aren't you?"

"Yes," Raven said. "I'm surprised. I didn't expect you to know about her."

"I don't, really," Yang said. "I've just heard her name."

"Brother?" Raven said, glancing at Qrow. "You're undoubtedly the one who told Yang about Salem. I'm sure you'd be happy to share the rest of the story with her."

All eyes turned to Qrow, including Weiss's and Ruby's, but Qrow didn't look like he was in the mood for stories. He looked over at Ironwood. When Ironwood nodded his approval, Qrow sighed wearily. He said, "Salem might as well be the bogeyman for all it matters. Are you really thinking about going up against her, Sister?"

Raven said, "Perhaps you'd know. If you hadn't turned your back on the Tribe."

Qrow rolled his eyes. He turned to Team RWBY and said, "Salem's not so much a person as she is a force. She's very old, older than anyone can remember. And she's the one who controls the grimm."

"She's what?" Yang asked. Surely she couldn't have heard that right.

Weiss said, "That certainly explains a few things. I think this Salem has taken a more active hand in destroying humanity as of late. At least here in Mistral."

Qrow said, "With Cinder working for her, it would make sense."

Yang asked, "Is Raven right, Uncle Qrow? Is Salem the one we should be going after?"

"Maybe," Qrow said. "But no one knows where she is or how to find her. Even Ozpin doesn't…didn't know."

Weiss asked Raven, "If all that's true, how do you plan on fighting her?"

Raven said, "That's not something I'm going to share with an outsider."

Qrow chuckled humorlessly. "In other words, she doesn't know," he said.

Raven glared at Qrow.

Yang said, "Sounds like nothing's changed then. We still have to beat Cinder."

"Yeah…" Ruby said, finally speaking up. But her voice sounded small. "Nothing's changed. Except…."

The despondent look on Ruby's face cut Yang right to the bone. She knew Ruby was talking about Dad. She asked, "Uncle Qrow? Do you think there's any chance Dad's still alive?"

"I don't know," Qrow said.

Ironwood suddenly chimed in. "That depends on how clearly Cinder is thinking."

Yang asked, "What do you mean?"

"Mr. Xiao Long would make excellent bate to lure out Miss Rose, and by extension, the rest of us," Ironwood said. "If Cinder has realized that, she has every reason to keep him alive."

"Yeah. Maybe," Yang said somberly. Ironwood had a point, but Yang didn't feel all that hopeful. Everything had gone all wrong since they'd set foot in Mistral. They'd come here to be heroes like out of one of Ruby's stories, but so far all they'd been were victims.

"Yang," Raven said. "Whatever else your father might be, he's a strong man. If there's a way to survive, he'll find it."

"I'm surprised you'd say that," Yang said.

"Why?" Raven asked. "I respected Tai enough to trust him with raising you. Don't think that's a decision I made lightly."

Raven was clearly expecting Yang to respond. When Yang didn't, she frowned. For a moment it looked like she was going to say something more, but then she simply put her mask back on.

Qrow asked, "Leaving already?"

In answer to Qrow's question, Raven drew her sword again. With a flick of her wrist, another portal appeared.

"Wait," Yang said.

Raven paused and glanced at her daughter.

"You've already broken your rule," Yang said. "What could it hurt to help us out some more?"

"I have my own battles ahead of me," Raven said.

Yang didn't know why she was disappointed. Raven had already made it abundantly clear where they stood. Maybe Yang was still clinging to the hope that Raven could be a mother to her. It was foolish, she knew, but knowing it was foolish didn't change the way she felt.

"Yang," Raven said. "I believe in you. I know you and your friends will persevere against Cinder."

Yang wasn't so sure, but she nodded in agreement anyway.

"Good luck," Raven said. She stepped through her portal. It closed behind her, and like that, she was gone.

"You too," Yang whispered. She turned and looked at everyone else. "So…now what?"

Blake wasn't making eye contact with Yang anymore. She wasn't making eye contact with anyone. Without a word, she turned and started walking away from the group.

"Blake?" Yang asked, but Blake didn't respond.

Weiss called after Blake, "Where are you going? It could be dangerous out there!"

Blake picked up her pace, and she kept walking away.

Yang glanced at Weiss and Ruby and said, "Let me handle this." She started jogging after Blake.

Blake had a head start, so it took Yang a moment to catch up, but when she did, she grabbed Blake by the arm. "What are you doing, Blake? What's wrong?" she asked.

"What's wrong…" Blake muttered. She slowly turned around, keeping her head bowed. "Back there in Kuroyuri I had to stop you from rushing to your death."

"Blake, I had to save—" Yang started.

Blake's hand suddenly clamped onto Yang's prosthetic, causing a pang of dread to reflexively shoot through Yang. Blake looked up into Yang's eyes with tears in her own. "You had to save your father? Just like you had to save me from Adam?"

"Yeah! Exactly like that!" Yang said, but for all her bravado, a queasiness was building in her gut. Still, she didn't let it show on her face. She said, "I'm not going to apologize for that, and I sure don't regret it either!"

"Well maybe I do!" Blake blurted out.

"Blake! I…" Yang stammered.

"I'm sorry," Blake said, letting go of Yang's arm.

Blake tried to turn away, but Yang cupped her cheek. "No. Don't be sorry," Yang said.

Blake didn't meet Yang's eyes, but she didn't try to pull away either.

"Blake, I thought we were past all this," Yang said.

"So did I," Blake said. "Until I saw you ready to charge into that storm like you still thought you were invincible."

"That's not what I thought at all," Yang said.

Blake's gaze reluctantly met Yang's again. She asked, "Then what did you think?"

Yang let go of Blake's cheek. She wrapped her arms around Blake and pulled her into a hug.

"Yang?" Blake asked.

"I thought…" Yang started. "I thought that I wasn't going to let anything else be taken from me. I lost my arm. My school. My friends. You for a while. And now Dad too? I'm just so sick of feeling powerless. I had to do something."

Blake started hugging Yang back. She buried her head in the crook of Yang's neck. "I know what you mean."

At first Yang thought that Blake was talking about their fight against Cinder, but then a horrible, horrible thought occurred to her. "This is what it was like for you when you were in the White Fang, trying to fight for faunus equality, isn't it," she said. "You've felt like this your whole life, haven't you."

"Yes," Blake said, so softly that Yang almost couldn't hear her.

For the first time ever, Yang finally, truly understood Blake and her struggles as a faunus. Her hand slid down Blake's back. She thought about the burn that was undoubtedly still on Blake's stomach. Now she knew how Blake had borne it so well. She'd endured worse. It amazed Yang, but Blake was stronger than she'd ever suspected.

Yang asked, "Blake, how did…how do you deal with it?"

"One day at a time," Blake said.

Yang kissed the top of Blake's head. She hadn't known she'd needed another reminder of how precious Blake was to her, but here she was, taking things for granted again.

"I'm sorry, Blake," Yang whispered. "I love you."

"I love you too," Blake said.

Neither Yang nor Blake let go of each other. Yang suspected they were both too scared to even think about it, but unfortunately, the world wouldn't stop turning just because they wanted it to. Yang looked off into the distance. Everyone else was waiting for them. Yang was glad they were out of earshot. This hadn't been a conversation she would've wanted to have in front of other people.

Yang said, "We should probably go back."

"Yes. We should," Blake said. She pulled out of Yang's arms. "Ruby and Weiss have more than enough to worry about right now without us adding to the list."

Yang let out a long sigh.

"What is it?" Blake asked.

"Ruby and Weiss," Yang said. "I am really jealous of those two." It was something she'd been trying not to think about for a while now.

"You are?" Blake asked. "Why is that?"

"Ruby's my little sister. I'm supposed to protect her. But now she and Weiss are stronger than I'll ever be. I guess…" Yang trailed off.

"You guess what?" Blake asked.

Yang wished she hadn't said anything. She hated herself for even thinking what she was about to say next. "Mom must have loved Ruby more than me if Ruby was her final thought."

"Yang!" Blake said. "You can't believe that!"

"You're right. I don't really," Yang said. "I guess I still just want to be the strong one."

"You are strong," Blake said. "Don't ever think you're not. And Ruby will always need you to be her sister."

"Yeah, I guess she will," Yang said. "Thanks, Blake."

"Come on," Blake said. "Let's not keep everyone standing around worrying."

Yang nodded. She and Blake walked back over to the group. Ruby was firmly holding on to Weiss's hand, and she did indeed look worried. Weiss, however, looked more relieved than concerned. She said, "Glad you two worked things out."

"Wait," Yang said. "You could hear us over there?"

"No," Weiss said. "But your auras appear much more emotionally calm now."

"Uh…what?" Yang asked, very confused. "You can…see our auras?"

"I'm not sure if 'see' is the right word for it," Weiss said. "But yes. Ever since I became a Maiden."

Yang and Blake glanced at each other. Blake was obviously just as befuddled as Yang. She said, "That's…useful."

Ruby said, "Wait, wait, wait! You mean seeing auras isn't normal?"

Yang asked, "You can see them too, Rubes? Since when?"

"Since forever!" Ruby said. "I thought everyone could!"

Weiss said, "You have technically been a Maiden for most of your life. It would make sense that you've had that ability, and that you'd assume everyone else had it as well."

Ruby looked at Yang and Blake. Her mouth opened and closed several times. Finally, she asked, "You two really can't see auras?"

"Nope," Yang said.

"But, but…" Ruby said, visibly upset. "Auras make everyone so beautiful!"

Yang smiled fondly at Ruby. This certainly explained a few things. She'd always known her sister was special, and oh boy had she been right.

It was then that Qrow said, "If we're all done gabbing about the beauty of life and all that garbage, we've got Cinder to worry about." He was just putting his flask back into his pocket. He looked a bit unsteady on his feet. Yang didn't know if it was even possible to get drunk so quickly, but Qrow certainly looked like he'd given it his best try. She supposed she couldn't blame him right now. He had been friends with her dad longer than she'd been alive.

Ironwood said, "Qrow is right. We've all seen firsthand how great a threat Cinder has become, but we haven't lost this war just yet."

Ruby's expression hardened. She asked, "We are going to get her, right? She's got…she's got Dad and…and…!"

Weiss took Ruby into her arms before Ruby could break down crying. "We're going to get her, Ruby," she said. She looked at Ironwood. "Isn't that correct."

Ironwood cast his eyes to the ground, but then he looked up again and said, "You've all fought admirably thus far. I know we can still succeed. But Cinder has grown too powerful for us to make any further mistakes. Whatever our next move is, it must be effective and decisive."

Ruby patted Weiss, and then she pulled herself out of Weiss's hug. "I've been thinking about that," she said, wiping a few tears from the corners of her eyes. "We've never really fought Cinder at our best. Now that Weiss and me really know how to use our powers, maybe we can take her on. Both of us together!"

Weiss said, "You do have a point. But it can't possibly be that simple."

Yang said, "Maybe it can. We only have to win one fight with her. What if we just hit her with everything we've got?"

"There's a problem with that," Blake said. "Cinder hasn't really gone all out yet either. She has the grimm on her side. She could potentially have an army to back her up anytime she wanted to."

Ironwood said, "Then we need an army too. I don't have one at my disposal anymore, but I do have a complement of my finest men and women, and a ship. Neither of those can stand against Cinder, but they could keep the grimm at bay."

Weiss said, "If we are going to go all out. We should ensure that it really is all out. There must be more resources we can use. We're not the only ones who want to see Cinder defeated."

Qrow muttered, "It's too bad my sister is too stubborn to give us a hand."

Ironwood added, "And the Mistralian military won't assist us either, but I may still be able to make further contributions. I've brought some experimental equipment with me that Atlas's research and development teams have been working on. It's all on my ship."

Ruby said, "I know some people who will help too!"

Weiss asked, "You do?"

"Yup!" Ruby said proudly. "Team RWBY isn't the only team I've been on you know."

"It isn't?" Weiss asked.

"It sure isn't!" Ruby said, but she offered no further explanation.

Blake said, "Then it sounds like we know what we need to do. Unless there's anyone else we know who could help."

Yang's hand absently slid over her pocket where her scroll was. "Yeah," she said. "I know one more person."

"Really?" Ruby asked. "Who?"

"I'll tell you," Yang said. "But you're not going to like it."

* * *

PART IV

According to the maps, the dreary backwater that Team RWBY had ended up in was called Hokori. It had taken them a day and a half to travel there from where Raven had left them, and Yang wasn't sure the journey had been worth it. Hokori was one of the most distinctly unpleasant towns that she'd ever seen. As Yang understood it, the town had grown up alongside a neighboring Dust mine. But the mine had run dry years ago, and the local economy had never recovered. Yang was surprised that the grimm hadn't destroyed the place by now. Mistral was too large of a kingdom for its military and huntsmen to protect all of it, even when there wasn't a fairy-tale monster on a rampage. They had to pick and choose their battles, and this town just wasn't important anymore.

Yang and Blake were standing side by side in a vacant, trash-strewn lot that was surrounded by neglected buildings. Qrow and Ironwood had gone to rally the soldiers that Ironwood had brought with him from Atlas, and Ruby and Weiss were absent, but Yang and Blake weren't alone per se. The lot seemed to be a gathering place of sorts for the lowly. Scavengers, transients, and other easily forgotten people were all milling about the area. Yang, however, wasn't paying them any mind. The only person who concerned her at the moment, besides Blake, was the person she'd come here to meet.

Blake let out a strained breath. Sweat was starting to bead on her forehead. Yang glanced at her. "Are you sure you can handle this?" she asked.

Blake nodded her head yes, not wasting any energy speaking.

A worried look crossed Yang's face. She wasn't sure if the plan they'd come up with was brilliant or crazy, but either way, she didn't like the stress it was putting on Blake. If something didn't happen soon, Yang was ready to call the whole thing off.

Fortunately, Yang didn't have to wait much longer. She spotted a woman walking up. The woman's clothes were Mistralian in style, but she was obviously an outsider. She exuded a confidence that didn't belong in this place. Her hair color was different from the last time Yang had seen her, and her eyes were green now, but Yang would recognize Neo anywhere.

Neo had her parasol in hand. She was resting it on her shoulder as she swaggered up to Yang and Blake. When she drew close, she stopped and stood there, staring at Yang with a smirk on her face.

Yang's fists clenched together. She didn't know what it was about Neo, but just being in her presence made Yang feel like she was being mocked. She had an intense desire to punch Neo in the face, but that would be counterproductive, and if the past was anything to go by, difficult.

Yang said, "I didn't think you'd show."

Neo put her hand into her pocket. Yang dropped back on one foot and brought her arms up defensively, but all Neo did was pull out a scroll. She opened it up and typed something into it.

The scroll in Yang's pocket buzzed, indicating that it'd received a message. Yang lowered her arms. She scowled and said, "I'm not playing that game with you."

Neo rolled her eyes. She typed something else into her scroll. Yang's pocket buzzed again.

Yang gritted her teeth, but she pulled out her scroll and opened it up. There were two messages on it.

 _Maybe I'm just flattered you still have my number, hot stuff._

 _Then this is going to be a really one-sided conversation._

While Yang was reading the messages, a third one popped up.

 _See? Isn't that better? Can you hear me alright, or do I need to speak up?_

Yang felt her temper rising, but she managed to restrain it. She asked, "Do you want to know why I messaged you or not?"

 _Do tell._

"We're going to fight Cinder," Yang said.

 _Don't you mean you've fought Cinder? And from what I hear, all you did was make her stronger. How's the Ice Queen's sister doing, by the way?_

"Don't talk like you know anything about that, you little—!" Yang started shouting, but she was interrupted by a muffled whimper from Blake.

Neo looked quizzically at Blake.

 _Your friend there looks like she's going to throw up. I hope she's not contagious._

Yang realized that she needed to come to the point, and quickly for Blake's sake. She said to Neo, "Don't worry about Blake. All you need to know is that we're going after Cinder again, and you're going to help us."

Neo actually looked surprised. Her smug grin faded for a second or two before returning.

 _Seriously!? Did Cinder beat what little brains you had out of you? Why would I work with a bunch of screwups like you?_

"Because I'm not giving you a choice," Yang said.

Neo laughed, or rather, she pantomimed a laugh. But no sound came out of her.

 _And how are you going to make me do anything?_

Yang grinned. She'd known that Neo was going to make this hard. In fact, she'd been counting on it. She said, "For starters, I'm going to give you a taste of your own medicine."

Suddenly, Yang and Blake vanished into thin air.

Over on a rooftop overlooking the vacant lot, Yang watched with great satisfaction as alarm registered on Neo's face. Blake, who was standing next to Yang, doubled-over and sucked in a few heavy breaths.

"Are you okay, Blake?" Yang asked.

"Y…yes," Blake said. "Did…did it work?"

"It worked," Yang said. She put a hand on Blake's shoulder. "You did awesome. Don't worry, we got the rest."

Yang hadn't known that Blake was capable of sustaining two clones, one of which didn't even look like her, for so long from so far a distance. However, Blake had insisted that she'd done it before. It had clearly taken everything she had, but she'd delivered.

Down in the vacant lot, Neo had shoved her scroll back into her pocket. She was holding up her parasol, and her eyes were darting every which way, trying to spot any danger that might be lurking nearby.

Right on cue, a red blur streaked across the lot, scattering rose peddles as it sped by. Neo's head snapped around, but Ruby was already long gone. Ruby's dramatic entrance and exit weren't lost on the other people milling about either. Even if they were slow to react, they clearly recognized trouble when they saw it. Some of them started clearing out of the area.

Neo backed away slowly from where she'd last seen Ruby. Yang continued to watch her. Neo wasn't quite heading in the direction Yang wanted her to go, but that was okay. Yang was prepared to give Neo a little nudge. She took a few steps back. Then she sprinted toward the edge of the roof. She pushed off with her feet, leaping high into the air, and landed in a three-point position behind Neo.

Neo jumped in surprise. She spun around in time to see Yang rising to her feet. All of the other people in the lot, save for a few stragglers, scattered to safety. Neo, however, stood her ground.

Yang projected as much menace as she could. Neo had definitely been unnerved, but she wasn't backing down. It looked for a moment like she might even attack Yang, but all of a sudden, the wind picked up. Weiss came descending from the sky, held aloft by the winds she was generating with her power. She touched down as light as a feather and drew her sword.

"Go ahead," Yang said to Neo. "Try it. I like my odds."

For good measure, Weiss let her power dance over her aura until she was shimmering with energy. Neo took a step back. Then she turned and ran.

Yang and Weiss didn't pursue Neo. They didn't need to.

Neo ran for the nearest escape route, which just so happened to send her heading toward the last three forgettable nobodies who were loitering around. Neo wasn't paying any attention to them, but then Ren dropped his semblance. Suddenly, he, Jaune, and Nora weren't so effortlessly easy to ignore. And they were all blocking Neo's path with weapons at the ready.

Neo scrambled to a halt. Jaune pointed at her with his sword. He said, "Nora! Ren! Flower Power!"

Ren lunged forward, and Nora leaped into the air. Ren struck at Neo with his pistols' blades. Neo easily parried the attacks, but then Nora came plunging for her, hammer first.

Ren, perfectly in tune with Nora, jumped aside at the last second. Neo didn't have any such luck. Still, her instincts and reflexes were so finely honed that she managed to avoid a direct blow from Nora's hammer by a hair's breadth. The giant mallet crashed into the ground. As agile as Neo was, however, she couldn't dodge out of the way of the resultant shock waves, and they knocked her off her feet.

Neo sprung back up immediately, but not before Jaune came charging in. He attempted to slam his shield into Neo, but she jumped into the air and kicked off of him, putting some distance between herself and her attackers. Jaune wasn't so easily dissuaded, however. He ran for Neo again and swung at her with his sword.

Jaune's swordsmanship had improved by leaps and bounds since he'd left Beacon Academy to travel with Ruby, but he was still no match for the likes of Neo. She easily slapped his sword out of the way with her parasol. Then in the same deft motion, she drew the hidden blade from its handle.

To Jaune's credit, he recognized the deadly threat that Neo represented. He tried in vain to use his shield to protect himself, but Neo literally danced around him and sent her blade slicing for his neck.

Jaune shut his eyes, but then his semblance manifested itself. A bright flash of light shone out from him. It repulsed Neo's blade, knocking her off balance. Suddenly, Ruby zipped up. Jaune hadn't even opened his eyes yet, but Ruby grabbed onto him and said, "Come on, Jaune!"

"Wha…?" Jaune managed to get out before Ruby pulled him away at super speeds.

A few feet away, Weiss was pointing her sword directly at Neo. Bolts of electricity were dancing over its blade, making the air around Myrtenaster hum with power. The moment Jaune and Ruby were clear, Weiss let loose the massive charge of electricity. Neo's eyes turned white, but it was too late for her to do anything. The electric torrent surged forward and struck her squarely in the chest.

Neo let out a silent scream. She was flung backward and landed hard on the ground. The illusion she'd been projecting over herself shattered, revealing her multicolored hair, and a brown and white winter coat with pink trim.

Yang started walking toward Neo. But before she closed the distance, Neo pulled herself to her feet, albeit much more slowly this time. Yang was surprised that Neo could even stand after taking a hit like that, but it seemed she wasn't down for the count just yet.

Yang said, "So are you ready to help us? Or do we still have to do this the hard way?"

Neo smirked at Yang. She took an exaggerated step backward, and simultaneously, she vanished from sight as she used her semblance to turn invisible.

Yang shouted, "Ruby! Weiss! Now!"

Ruby came speeding up in front of Weiss. She ran in a tight circle, kicking up a cyclone of loose dirt. Weiss thrust her hand forward. A gale of wind sprung forth and scattered the dirt across the lot in a billow, revealing a Neo-shaped outline.

Jaune called out, "Nora!"

"Right!" Nora said. She folded back her hammer into its grenade launcher mode and gleefully saturated the area with explosions, cackling with mad laughter all the while.

The hollow silhouette of Neo ducked and dodged, but there was nowhere for her to run. She was pelted by concussive blasts from Nora's grenades, quickly becoming visible again as her semblance failed.

Nora's magazine ran dry. Neo was wobbling back and forth, disoriented but still on her feet. Weiss thrust a pair of fingers at Neo, and a black glyph formed around her. It clamped down on Neo's waist and pinned her arms at her sides.

Neo struggled, but she couldn't free herself. Yang marched right up to her. All of the pain and frustration that Neo had delighted in inflicting on her came bubbling up to the surface. Yang's eyes turned red as her semblance ignited. She cocked back her fist and let loose all of her rage in the form of a punch right to Neo's head. Yang's fist plowed through what little was left of Neo's aura and soundly knocked her unconscious.

Yang let out a breath. She was not ashamed to admit how incredibly satisfying that punch had felt.

* * *

"Time to wake up, small-fry," Yang said.

Neo was lying on the ground, slowly coming to. Teams RWBY and JNPR, including Blake, were all surrounding her. Her hands were tied behind her back with Gambol Shroud's ribbon, something much sturdier than any rope, and Blake had a firm hold on the sword the ribbon was attached to.

Yang was holding Neo's parasol in her hand. She poked Neo with it a few times. "Come on. Wake up," she said.

Neo twitched, and her eyes pried themselves open. She looked around, taking stock of the situation. Then she managed to shove herself up into a sitting position with her elbows.

Yang pointed Neo's parasol at her. "It's time for you and me to have a talk. For real this time."

To Yang's utter disbelief, Neo's smug grin returned. It seemed that not even being beaten unconscious could repress her.

Neo lifted her head, exposing her neck. Her eyes flicked downward a few times in an effort to point something out to Yang.

Yang frowned. She cautiously stepped forward. Then she ran her flesh-and-blood hand along Neo's neck and felt something. Upon closer inspection, she found some old and faded scars right where Neo's larynx was.

Yang took a step back. "You have got to be kidding me. You really can't talk?" she asked. She had no idea if she should feel infuriated or horrified. Neo was not a good person, but Yang understood all too well what it felt like to be injured in a way you could never completely recover from.

Neo shrugged at Yang. Her eyes flicked down to her pocket where Yang knew her scroll was. She cocked her head to the side, as if asking Yang a question, and smiled at Yang with a very self-satisfied look.

Yang's frown deepened. She glanced around at her companions. Ruby nodded her approval.

Yang didn't like the idea of untying Neo, but they weren't going to get anywhere otherwise. She was fairly certain that Neo wasn't going to try anything. She was disarmed and outnumbered seven-to-one.

"Blake?" Yang asked.

Blake reached down and untied Neo's hands, then she quickly took a step back. She kept Gambol Shroud ready, just in case.

Neo rubbed her wrists. Then she stood up and pulled her scroll out of her pocket.

Yang took out her own scroll as well. It buzzed just as soon as Neo had finished typing.

 _Isn't learning about other people so much fun? Are we best friends now?_

"Look," Yang said. "All I care about is beating Cinder."

 _And you still think I'm going to help you?_

"You still think you have a choice!?" Yang asked.

 _I sure do! Watch this. No, I'm not going to help you. Now what are you going to do?_

"Ironwood's here from Atlas," Yang threatened. "After what you did in Vale, I'm sure he'd be happy to lock you up forever."

 _Boring. What else you got?_

Yang's frustration began to boil over. Even after finally beating Neo, it still felt like she was losing to her.

Ruby looked at Yang. She said, "Let me try."

 _Oh yes. Please let her try. I could use a laugh._

Strangely, Neo's taunt actually soothed Yang's frustration. Neo was making the same mistake that so many had foolishly made before her; she was underestimating Ruby. Yang handed her scroll to Ruby and said, "She's all yours."

Ruby looked at the scroll and then at Neo and then back to the scroll.

 _What's the matter? Scared of little old me?_

"No," Ruby said. "But I am scared for you."

 _What is that supposed to mean?_

"I was there," Ruby said solemnly. "I saw Roman die with my own eyes. And I know what it feels like to lose someone you care about."

Neo's smile vanished from her face. She began angrily tapping at her scroll's screen.

 _Don't pretend like you understand me._

"But I do understand," Ruby said with all sincerity. "You're here to get justice for his death. We're here to get justice for our friends at Beacon who didn't make it. We all want the same thing. And we're going to have to work together to get it."

 _You're even more insufferably naïve than I thought._

"But…we are!" Ruby said. "It's the only way to beat Cinder!"

Weiss spoke up. "This is a waste of our time. Let's just forget about her. If she had a plan to defeat Cinder she would have done it already."

 _Tell the princess she couldn't be more wrong._

Ruby tilted Yang's scroll so that Weiss could see. Weiss said. "So you do have a plan. I thought so. What a shame it would be if we had to stop you."

Neo frowned.

 _You wouldn't dare stop me from taking down Cinder._

"Wouldn't we?" Weiss asked. "Surely your plan would have a better chance for success if we worked with you, rather than against you."

Neo stood there for a moment. She looked like she was thinking something over. Then her grin slowly returned. She typed something into her scroll.

 _Tell me, Schnee. What are you willing to do to stop Cinder?_

"Anything I have to," Weiss said. "I've already sacrificed everything to get this far."

 _Not yet you haven't. Rich brats like you don't know what sacrifice is. If you're going to "help" me, I want to know you're not going to flake out at the last minute._

"Then let me make myself perfectly clear," Weiss said. "I will do whatever it takes to stop Cinder."

Neo's smile grew downright sinister.

 _I was hoping you'd say that. Alright, you're in. I'll tell you how I'm going to stop Cinder. Even better, I'll show you. And if you're really, really lucky, you'll still be alive when it comes time to take the bitch down._

Ruby passed Yang's scroll around so that everyone could read what Neo had typed. She asked, "What does everyone think?"

Yang flipped Neo's parasol around in her hand and held it out to its rightful owner. "It's like Weiss said. Whatever it takes."

* * *

 _Author's Note:_ _So I'm pretty sure I'm stretching what Ren's semblance is capable of, but frankly, I don't think it's all that impressive otherwise. I guess it's situationally effective against the grimm? I suppose there's nothing that says everyone's semblance has to be useful. Hmmm. Now I kind of want to see a RWBY character with a totally pointless semblance. And then, of course, I want to see them find a way to make use of it. Now unlike Ren, Blake's extra ordinary use of her semblance here does have some precedent in canon, i.e. the end of Volume 3._

 _It's probably really obvious now, but I like the idea that Neo is actually mute. It was hard to come up with an easy way for Yang to figure that out. Psychological issues like, for example, selective mutism don't exactly leave a lot of physical clues, and I didn't want it to be something gross like Neo having her tongue cut out. So tiny scars hinting at an ugly past trauma it is!_

 _Now that we've gotten to know canon Raven a little bit better, I'm amused that she's basically doing the exact opposite of what my version of Raven is doing. Hey, that's what fanfiction exists for, right? To explore new possibilities? Well that and to pair up your favorite characters._

 _And speaking of canon Raven, I'm still live blogging Volume 5 over on my tumblr (electronicyarn). Come check it out before the volume is over._

 _As always, I welcome constructive criticism. Please feel free to leave a review. And if you like what you've read, taking the time to favorite and/or follow really helps me out. You can also find me on tumblr (electronicyarn) if you want to send me a message or be notified of updates._


	5. The Fall of Everything

**Chapter 5: The Fall of Everything**

PART I

"We've got to think of something!" Nora said.

Despite Teams RWBY, JNPR, and their tentative ally Neo all being present, no one immediately responded to Nora.

"Well?!" Nora asked insistently.

Ren gave Nora a sideways glance and said, "I don't think that's the most pressing issue right now."

"Of course it is!" Nora said, waving her arms frantically. "We have to have a team name! Otherwise we're not a team!"

"Then what would you suggest calling us?" Ren asked.

"I don't know," Nora said. "Team RWJNRBY? Team JNRRWBY? There's too many letters! What are we going to do?!"

Ren looked thoughtful for a moment. "I always did wonder how Ozpin came up with team names so readily," he said. "It didn't seem to matter what combinations of letters there were. And the leader's initial always came first. Maybe that day in the Emerald Forest was more orchestrated than we were led to believe."

Weiss resisted the urge to let out an exasperated sigh. She wasn't in the mood to worry about such frivolous things right now. Especially since she was half convinced that Neo had led them all into a trap. Neo had taken them to the old Dust mine outside of Hokori. Most of the old mining equipment was still lying around, slowly rusting away to nothing, and the atmosphere was undeniably eerie.

Right now everyone was standing at the bottom of a quarry pit. Why they needed to be there, Weiss had no idea. Neo had insisted that someone important would meet them there, and that was what had Weiss worried most of all. No one of good reputation had the need to meet at such an out-of-the-way location.

Unfortunately for Weiss, Nora wasn't finished with her antics. "Ooh!" she said. "How about we call ourselves Team RRYWBNT? No, wait. That sound silly."

"Nora, please!" Weiss said.

"What?" Nora asked. "This is important!"

Jaune suddenly stepped forward and put his hand on Nora's shoulder. He said, "You're right, Nora. It is important. But…we don't want the wrong people to overhear us."

Nora looked confused for a second, but then her eyes flicked over to Neo. "Oooh. Right," she said with a sly grin.

"Maybe think about it quietly and tell us what you come up with later?" Jaune said, removing his hand.

"You got it, Boss!" Nora said, snapping a salute at Jaune.

Weiss let out a breath of relief. "Thank you," she said quietly to Jaune.

"No problem," Jaune said.

Weiss hadn't really paid Jaune much mind since her team and his had joined forces. He was so much more subdued than he used to be that it had been easy to ignore him, but now Weiss looked him over. It was plain to see that the Jaune standing beside her was not the same one she'd known back at Beacon. There was a weight on his shoulders now, and he was bearing it well. In an odd way, it gave him an air of dignity that he'd always lacked.

"Uh, Weiss?" Jaune hesitantly asked.

"Yes?"

"In case I don't have time to say it later. I'm sorry."

"For what?" Weiss asked. She couldn't think of anything Jaune had done recently that warranted an apology.

"I'm sorry for how I acted around you in the past," Jaune said. "I kept pestering you when it was obvious you didn't want anything to do with me. I just thought…. I guess it doesn't matter what I thought. I'm sorry."

Weiss knew what Jaune was talking about, of course, but those days seemed like so long ago. Jaune's attempts at romancing her, as uncomfortable as they'd been, were hardly more than a faded memory now. Nevertheless, Weiss appreciated Jaune's willingness to hone up to his actions. She said, "Apology accepted. And…I'm pleased to have you here fighting with us."

"Thanks," Jaune said sheepishly. "Although from what Ruby told me, you don't really need our help anymore. You're like a superhero now or something."

"Of course I need your help," Weiss said. "There's no way I can defeat Cinder on my own."

Ruby, who was standing just in front of Weiss and Jaune, glanced over her shoulder. She said, "See, Jaune? I told you."

"Yeah, I guess you did," Jaune said.

"I never asked," Ruby said, turning to face Jaune completely. "How were things here after I left?"

"Frustrating," Jaune said. "We never did find Cinder. Obviously. Even after she stopped hiding, it seemed like every time we got to where she was supposed to be, we were too late and she was already gone."

Ruby cast her eyes down. "I know that feeling," she said.

"I guess we didn't really accomplish anything at all," Jaune said.

Ren chimed in, "I have to disagree. By my count, we fended off at least a dozen grimm attacks on various settlements during our search for Cinder. And twice that number after she reemerged."

"Really?" Ruby asked excitedly.

"Yeah," Jaune said. "I guess we did."

"Then you accomplished a lot!" Ruby said.

A few feet ahead of Jaune, Ruby, and Weiss; Yang was pacing back and forth. She and Blake were standing right next to where Neo was silently waiting. Yang looked at Neo and asked, "So where is this person?"

Neo typed something into her scroll.

Yang's scroll buzzed. She looked at it and said, "I'll stop asking when they get here!"

There was another buzz.

"I swear, if you're just wasting our time—"

A buzz interrupted Yang. She scowled. "Fine," she said. Then she shoved her scroll into her pocket and crossed her arms.

Weiss didn't need to sense Yang's aura to see how impatient she was feeling right now. Weiss didn't blame her. If Neo really had led them into a trap, Weiss wished she would hurry up and spring it.

As it turned out, neither Weiss nor Yang had to wait much longer. Less than a minute later, a sound began rising up from off in the distance. It started out low and quiet, but it quickly grew louder.

Ruby looked around. "What is that?" she asked.

Jaune said, "It kind of sounds like…marching."

Now that Jaune had pointed it out, Weiss agreed with him. She shut her eyes and extended her senses. She could instantly feel dozens upon dozens of auras closing in on them. Most of them weren't particularly impressive, but there were a few that stood out from the crowd enough to be worrisome, and there was one in particular that outshone all the rest.

"Weiss?" Yang asked, sounding concerned.

A frown creased Weiss's lips as she opened her eyes. "We're surrounded," she said.

Yang turned in Neo's direction. "What did you do?!" she asked. But a sinister smile was Neo's only reply.

The sound of marching grew ever louder. Just as it reached its crescendo, a large group of people crested the ridge of the quarry pit from all sides. They all came to a halt and stood shoulder to shoulder. They were all armed, and they were all dressed in White Fang uniforms.

"No way…" Yang said, mirroring Weiss's thoughts. With Adam still in custody, there was only one person Weiss knew of who could rally together so many members of the White Fang.

A woman appeared among the army of White Fang surrounding the pit, confirming Weiss's fears. The woman was dressed in a winter garment that was halfway between a coat and a robe which looked both elegant and functional. A hood covered her head with holes cut into it to accommodate her cat ears. In her hand she held a long spear with a wicked-looking blade on the end.

The woman suddenly leaped into the air and landed gracefully on her feet down in the pit. She planted the haft of her spear forcefully against the ground. Then she stared down Teams RWBY and JNPR with piercing, golden eyes.

Weiss's mouth hung open. She hadn't thought that anything could scare her anymore after what she'd been through. She'd been wrong. She slowly said, "Sienna. Khan."

"Khan!?" Yang exclaimed. "You mean…!?"

"The leader of the White Fang," Weiss said.

Sienna looked amused. "I was wondering if you'd recognize me, Schnee," she said.

"Recognize you!?" Weiss spat out. "How could I not recognize you!? You've stolen from my family! You've terrorized us! You've murdered our friends and associates!"

"All very true," Sienna said.

"Is that all you have to say for yourself?!" Weiss sputtered.

"What did you expect?" Sienna asked. "Remorse? Maybe regret? I'd do it all again and more, given the chance. It's nothing less than your family deserves."

"How dare you!" Weiss said. Her fingers curled around Myrtenaster's hilt, and she felt her power flaring up inside of her. But she forced herself, difficult though it was, not to take any threatening action against Sienna. She especially did not want to reveal that she was a Maiden. Assuming Sienna knew what that meant, she would violently resent a Schnee being given such power.

Weiss took a long, calming breath. She removed her hand from her sword, but she said, "Nobody deserves what you've done to my family. I don't care what injustices you've suffered."

"Oh?" Sienna asked, raising an eyebrow. "I'm curious. Do you know where you're standing right now?"

Weiss knew no good would come from indulging Sienna, but she gave her the obvious answer. "In a Dust mine."

"Not just any Dust mine," Sienna said. "A Dust mine that was operated by a puppet of the Schnee Dust Company. Overseen by Schnee Dust Company managers. And worked by faunus labor."

Weiss didn't want to hear anymore, but unbelievably, Sienna was the lesser of two evils right now. If Sienna could help defeat Cinder, and Weiss knew Sienna could, then Weiss would do what she had to. She swallowed her pride and said, "I…apologize for whatever my family has done to you, but—"

"Apologize?" Sienna asked indignantly. "Do you really believe that I would accept an apology from you? Don't belittle me with your platitudes! And don't pretend that you could even comprehend the magnitude of your family's crimes! How could you? People like you have never tasted suffering before."

"I'm not trying to belittle you!" Weiss said. "But don't you _ever_ dare think that I don't know what suffering is! I was forced to watch as Cinder murdered my sister! That's why I'm here talking to you. I need your help to stop her."

Sienna was quiet for a moment.

"Please," Weiss said. "Please. I'm begging you."

"A Schnee, begging me," Sienna said. "I could get used to this."

Weiss wasn't sure if she should take Sienna's statement as a good sign or not. She started to say, "I'm—"

"Don't," Sienna said. Rage began filling her eyes. "So your dear, precious sister was killed. Do you think that makes you special? Do you think that grants you absolution? When you've worked for years with no hope for a better life. When you've scratched out an existence while others grow rich from your labor. When you've watched your own children beaten and whipped and then left to die like so much garbage. On that day you can talk to me about suffering, Schnee. And on that day, I might pretend that you're worth more than the dirt beneath my feet."

The hatred rolling off of Sienna's aura was literally palpable to Weiss. Its sheer potency made her head spin. She didn't believe for a second that the vitriol Sienna was spewing at her was justified, but she could see the path that had led Sienna there. This was Father's true crime, Weiss realized. Of all the evils he was responsible for, none compared to what the hatred he'd inspired had made people like Sienna become.

Ruby zipped up to Weiss's side. "You leave Weiss alone!" she said to Sienna.

Sienna sneered. "If you know what's best for you, little girl, you'll stay out of this."

"Hey!" Yang said. "Don't treat Ruby like she's a kid!"

Weiss realized the situation was rapidly getting out of hand. Sienna's contempt for her was angering all of her friends. She could even feel the ordinarily mellow Ren's temper rising. She needed to do something. They needed allies to defeat Cinder, and all they were doing was making more enemies. But before Weiss could say anything, Blake suddenly shouted, "Everybody stop!"

A hush fell over the pit. All eyes turned to Blake as she walked in between Sienna and Weiss. Blake reached up and removed her bow. Then she bowed politely to Sienna, consequently making her cat ears plain to see. "High Leader Khan," she said. "It's an honor to finally meet you in person."

To Weiss's surprise, Sienna had very little reaction to Blake. She simply said, "I was wondering when you were going to say something, Belladonna."

Surprise flashed across Blake's face.

"Oh yes," Sienna said. "I recognized you the moment I saw you."

"Then please listen to me, High Leader," Blake said. "I've seen firsthand how dangerous Cinder Fall is. She's a threat to everyone, faunus and human. I know you have no reason to trust Weiss or any of my companions, but you need them as much as they need you."

"I highly doubt that," Sienna said. "But I am curious why you think I don't trust your pet humans. They're desperate. That much is plain to see. And that makes them predictable. They'll be the most steadfast of 'allies'. At least for as long as I'm useful to them. It's a shame that I can't say the same about you."

"Me?" Blake asked. "But why?"

"You betrayed the White Fang," Sienna said.

"I left the White Fang," Blake said. "I didn't betray it."

"One is tantamount to the other," Sienna said.

Blake scowled. "I've been true to the ideals that the White Fang was founded on. I wish more faunus could say that," she said.

"I doubt Adam would agree," Sienna said. "I can only imagine what he thought when his former lover came to help some humans put an end to him."

Yang said, "Wait! Former _what_?!"

"Oh? Was that a secret?" Sienna asked sarcastically. "How careless of me."

Weiss winced as she felt emotions of hurt and betrayal sour Yang's aura.

"Yang…" Blake said. "I'm—"

"Later," Yang interrupted. "We'll talk about it later."

Blake hung her head. But then she nodded and looked back at Sienna. "Adam was a monster," she said. "He was willing to throw away everything for the sake of revenge."

"Now you sound like your fool of a father," Sienna said. She turned to leave. "I think we're done here."

"No, wait!" Weiss said.

Sienna let out a laugh. "Why should I?" she asked. "Although, I could stand to hear you beg again before I go."

Suddenly, Neo snapped her fingers a few time. She had an exasperated look on her face.

Sienna looked at Neo and curtly asked, "What?"

Neo began speaking in sign language.

Sienna apparently understood Neo, because she said, "Don't presume you have a say in this, human."

Neo signed something else.

"I'm quite aware of that!" Sienna said, looking angered.

Neo did not look pleased herself. She started rapidly signing.

"That has nothing to do—!" Sienna cut herself off and visibly calmed herself. "No. I'm done wasting my time."

Weiss was frantically searching for something to say to convince Sienna to stay, but she knew that Sienna would never willingly help a Schnee, even if it was in her own best interest. Weiss had just about given up hope when a quiet sound drew everyone's attention.

Jaune cleared his throat again. "Uh, Miss High Leader? Ma'am?" he sheepishly asked.

Sienna looked annoyed that Jaune was even daring to talk to her. "What?" she asked very tersely.

"You should really help us stop Cinder," Jaune said. "Because…because you can't afford not to."

"Excuse me?" Sienna asked.

Weiss instantly realized what Jaune was getting at. She said, "The last the world at large saw of the White Fang, your people were working with Cinder and the grimm to destroy Beacon."

Yang crossed her arms. "If humans didn't hate the White Fang before, they sure do now. I wouldn't be surprised if people are blaming everything Cinder's doing here in Mistral on the White Fang too."

Blake said, "If you really want humans to respect us, you have to give them a reason to respect us. I can't think of a better way to do that than by saving an entire kingdom."

Sienna said, "The humans will never respect us. No matter what we do."

"Then this is your opportunity to be proven right," Blake said.

Ruby said, "We can beat Cinder. But the only way any of us will do that is by working together."

Sienna eyed Ruby. "You really do believe that. Don't you."

Weiss said, "We all do. So? Are you going to help us, or are you going to prove you're nothing more than a terrorist, just like the world believes?"

Sienna was silent for a long while. Then she glanced at Neo. Neo gave her an insistent look. Sienna's eyes slid back to Weiss. "Very well, Schnee. If you need the White Fang to accomplish what you cannot, then that's what you'll have," she said. But then she lifted her spear and pointed it directly at Weiss. "On one condition."

"Name it," Weiss said.

"The world will know that it was saved by the White Fang," Sienna said. "And you, Schnee, will do everything in your power to make sure that it does."

"I will," Weiss said. "I swear it."

* * *

PART II

"Are you sure this is the best course of action?" Ironwood's heavily distorted voice echoed out of the speaker on Weiss's scroll. Weiss had been surprised to get an actual call from Ironwood. Mistral's local communications network was still in shambles, but apparently one of Ironwood's techs had worked a miracle. The connection wasn't the best, but it was good enough.

"Absolutely," Weiss said. "You said it yourself. Our next move against Cinder must be decisive. I know from personal experience just how decisive the White Fang can be when they're properly motivated."

Ironwood asked, "Where are Khan and her followers now?"

"I don't know for certain," Weiss said. "They left on their own along with Neo, Torchwick's former associate. But Sienna Khan assured us that the White Fang would be ready when we sent word."

"It's probably for the best that she and you aren't in close proximity to one another," Ironwood said. "We don't want to risk any infighting until after we've defeated Cinder."

"I thought the same," Weiss said.

"Is there anything else to report?" Ironwood asked.

"No," Weiss said. "And we've heard nothing regarding Cinder herself."

"Neither have we," Ironwood said. "We're en route to Hokori now. We should be there by tomorrow morning."

"Very good," Weiss said. "I'll contact you if anything comes up."

Weiss ended the call. She slipped her scroll back into her pocket. It had already been getting late by the time Teams RWBY and JNPR had headed back into town after parting ways with the White Fang. Weiss had suggested they rent rooms at a local inn for the night. She'd even offered to pay for them. Much to her surprise, Father hadn't cut off her access to her money like he'd done the last time she'd displeased him. She wasn't sure why, but she'd worry about that later.

The inn Weiss and her companions had found was purportedly the best Hokori had to offer, but it wasn't exactly up to Weiss's usual standards. The décor was dreary, and the building itself was just as rundown as the rest of the town. But after camping out in the wilderness for so long, Weiss welcomed the prospect of spending the night in a proper bed.

Weiss was alone in the room she'd be sharing with Ruby. Ruby herself had wandered out onto the room's attached balcony not long after Weiss had received Ironwoods call. Jaune, Ren, and Nora had already retired to their respective rooms for the night, as had Yang and Blake. Weiss presumed that Yang and Blake were going to talk about Blake's history with Adam. Weiss had never suspected that Blake and Adam were former lovers, but in retrospect, she didn't find it all that surprising. Yang, on the other hand, had obviously not taken the news well. However, Weiss was confident that the two of them would come to an understanding. Their relationship had survived far worse. She just hoped that they worked things out quickly. None of them could afford to be distracted right now.

Now that Weiss's call with Ironwood was over, a disquieting silence had settled over the room. Weiss walked over and sat down on one of the room's two beds. She was almost certain that she hadn't been alone like this for longer than a few minutes since Team RWBY had come to Mistral. She'd almost forgotten what it was like.

When Weiss had first started attending classes at Beacon, she'd craved having time to herself where she could be free of her teammates' shenanigans, but she decided she didn't care for it anymore. She missed Ruby's presence, which was ridiculous since Ruby was right outside.

The image of Ruby's face came to Weiss's mind. Despite Ruby's youth, she no longer had the appearance of a child. She'd seen too much and done too much to be that innocent anymore. But her eyes still held that stubborn spark of idealism. She'd never quite lost her belief in the inherent goodness of the world.

Weiss got up off the bed. She walked over to the wall and leaned against it. Then she stretched out her senses. It only took a minuscule amount of effort for her to feel Ruby's aura through the barrier that was separating them. The sensation made her skin tingle.

Weiss closed her eyes and let out a long, slow breath. She'd lost track of how long it'd been since she and her teammates had crossed the border into Mistral. It couldn't have been more than a few weeks, but it felt like so much longer. Weiss wished it was all over. She was weary of the fighting. She was weary of watching people die.

Weiss searched for that flicker of optimism in Ruby's aura, but right now, it was hard to find. Ruby's emotions felt abnormally subdued. The thought that maybe the weight of the world had finally become too much for Ruby to bear was devastating for Weiss.

Weiss's eyes opened. She'd always felt that she needed Ruby far more than Ruby needed her, but maybe tonight that was no longer the case. She glanced over at the door that led to the balcony. It was only a foot away, but she hesitated. Ruby was the only rock left that Weiss could cling to. Everything else—her family, her school, her sister—had eroded away. Weiss didn't know if she was strong enough to walk out onto that balcony and see Ruby lost in despair.

Guilt gnawed at Weiss. She'd taken so much emotional support from Ruby as of late, and she had yet to give any of it back. How long had it been since she'd told Ruby that she loved her? Weiss didn't even know. Whatever the case, it was undeniable that right now she was being a fool. For so long she'd wanted nothing more than time to be alone with Ruby, to connect with her, to tell her exactly how she felt, and to dream about the future with her. Right now, just for tonight, they had time. And Ruby needed her.

Weiss straightened herself up. She reminded herself that she was a Schnee. Schnees did not run from their problems; they solved them. Weiss stepped over to the balcony door. She quietly slid it open and walked outside.

The night air was cold, crisp, and perfectly still. The sky was clear, and the unbroken face of the moon was shining brightly down on Remnant. Ruby was there. Her red coat and pale skin stood out strikingly against the dull grays and beiges of the inn's exterior. The moonlight almost seemed to be illuminating her and her alone. She truly was a glowing beacon in the darkness.

Weiss's breath caught in her throat. All her trepidations over seeing Ruby tonight melted away. Ruby had never looked more beautiful to her than in this moment. The sight filled Weiss with both a yearning and a powerful need to comfort Ruby.

Weiss walked over to Ruby and stood silently by her side. She wanted to hug Ruby. She wanted to kiss her. But she was still worried about doing something that Ruby would consider inappropriate. Now, of all times, Weiss didn't want Ruby to feel uncomfortable around her.

Ruby didn't look at Weiss. She wasn't looking up into the sky either. Her eyes were turned to the town before her. Minutes passed, but eventually, her hand found Weiss's. Despite the coldness of the winter's night, Weiss felt herself warming at Ruby's touch.

Ruby said, "Everything's so…normal."

"What do you mean?" Weiss asked.

"Everyone here is just doing normal stuff," Ruby said. "It's like they don't even know what's going on out there."

"I'm sure they do," Weiss said.

"Then why aren't they doing anything?" Ruby asked. "Cinder is…. She's…."

Tears started trickling down Ruby's face. Without another word, she threw herself into Weiss's arms. Weiss didn't need any further invitation. She hugged Ruby and held on tight. The sorrow in Ruby's aura washed over Weiss, but it wasn't what she'd been expecting. It was, in a way, pure, much like Ruby herself. Weiss couldn't sense any of the bitterness or anger that she herself had felt when Winter had been killed. The feeling of Ruby's sadness radiating through Weiss chased away the ugly emotions that had taken root in her soul, like a cleansing summer's rain washing the world clean.

Weiss rocked Ruby back and forth, clinging to her more desperately than before. "You're going to be okay, Ruby," she said. And she really believed that. Despite everything, Ruby would be okay.

Weiss recalled the all-consuming hatred that she'd felt in Sienna's aura. She knew full well what heinous crimes it had driven Sienna to commit. Weiss wondered if she'd been given a glimpse of her own future. If she let her bitterness and resentment fester, would she be beyond redemption someday as well?

The sorrow in Ruby's aura began to subside. It certainly wasn't gone, but it was subdued enough now that Weiss could feel what was underneath, the spark of hope that she'd dearly wished to find earlier. The world hadn't beaten Ruby yet, and that was as beautiful to Weiss as it was unbelievable.

"Ruby…" Weiss said so softly that it was all but a whisper. "I love you."

"Me too, Weiss," Ruby said, sniffling. "I'm so glad you're here with me."

"I will always be here for you," Weiss said.

There was an undeniable peace to be found in Ruby's aura. A peace that had never been present in Weiss's life before. Weiss wanted to know that peace for herself, but for that, she realized she would have to let go of her hatred for Cinder. But could she really do that? Could she fight Cinder simply because it was what needed to be done and not because she wanted revenge? Weiss didn't know. But for Ruby's sake, and for her own, she would try.

Ruby's tears had stopped, but she stayed right where she was in Weiss's arms. Her aura began to shift again. Weiss felt, she physically felt, Ruby's love for her beaming outward. It was almost too much for Weiss to behold, like trying to look directly at the sun, but she didn't shy away from it. She needed Ruby's love as surely as she needed to breathe.

What Weiss felt in Ruby's aura was glorious. There was love. There was caring and tenderness. But it was what Weiss didn't feel that send a sharp pang of bitter-sweet sorrow through her. There was no desire, at least not the physical kind. Weiss understood perfectly now what she'd long suspected. She wanted things that Ruby didn't.

Weiss was beyond grateful for the place she held in Ruby's heart, but she found herself trapped between having more than she thought she deserved and having less than she wanted. Maybe someday she could reconcile the two, but here and now, she resolved to simply treasure what she'd been given.

"Ruby."

"Yeah?"

"We should go inside."

"Okay."

Ruby pulled out of Weiss's hug, but she kept holding onto her hand. They both went to the balcony door together and slipped back into their room.

Once they were inside, Ruby started walking, but Weiss stood still. When Weiss's arm tugged at Ruby, she turned questioningly to Weiss.

"Ruby…" Weiss said hesitantly. An idea was coming to her. "You can sense auras too, correct?"

"Yup," Ruby said. "Why?"

"I want to try something, if that's okay," Weiss said.

"Sure," Ruby said.

Without another word, Weiss led Ruby by the hand over to one of the beds. She crawled onto it and pulled Ruby up with her. Weiss lay down, and Ruby cuddled up into Weiss's side of her own accord.

The physical contact tugged at Weiss's desire, but she pushed it down. She forced herself to focus on her love for Ruby instead.

"So what are we doing?" Ruby asked.

"Can you feel my aura right now?" Weiss asked.

"Sure," Ruby said.

"Focus on it," Weiss instructed.

"Alright?" Ruby said with uncertainty. She clearly wasn't sure what Weiss was getting at, but she closed her eyes and concentrated anyway.

Weiss felt Ruby's aura fluctuate. It took a minute or two, but then suddenly, the connection was made. Weiss gasped. If she'd thought Ruby's aura had been intense out on the balcony, she'd been wrong. She felt Ruby's love now like it was coming from her own heart.

"Oh…" Ruby said, awestruck. "Wow."

"Yes. Wow," Weiss said. She thought about telling Ruby that she loved her again, but using words to express her feelings was superfluous at this point.

Then a wondrous thing happened. Ruby's lips found Weiss's, and she kissed her. It was a chaste kiss, but with their auras intertwined, there was no need for it to be anything more. Weiss's eyes fluttered closed as she savored the taste. This was without a doubt the most intimate thing she'd ever done. It wasn't physical love, but Weiss wanted with all her heart for it to be enough. And, for now at least, it was.

The rest of the world faded away. Weiss felt herself growing intoxicated from all the emotions bombarding her. She didn't know what tomorrow might bring. She didn't know if she would survive this war with Cinder. But for right now, none of that mattered. She and Ruby were here, together. And everything was perfect.

* * *

PART III

Yang's eyes were soft and unfocused as she gazed listlessly down at the floor of the cramped shower stall she was standing in. Water fell from the spigot above her, beating out a rhythmic noise against her shower cap. It cascaded over her drooped shoulders, and she watched, entranced, as it swirled down the drain.

Yang had been standing stock still in the shower for some time now. Her thoughts were dark and troubled. There was so much for her to be worried about right now that she didn't even know where to begin. Taiyang's fate at the hands of Cinder was weighing heavily on her, now that there was nothing to distract her from thinking about it. But truth be told, she was more worried about Blake. It felt like a betrayal of her dad to concern herself more with her girlfriend than him, but there wasn't anything she could do to help him right now. That wasn't the case with Blake, or so she'd hoped.

Sienna "carelessly" revealing Blake's history with Adam had been an unpleasant surprise for Yang, and unfortunately, she'd played right into Sienna's hands when she'd expressed her dismay. She'd unwittingly become an accessory to Sienna's petty revenge against Blake. If they hadn't needed allies so badly to help take down Cinder, Yang would have punched Sienna in the face right then and there.

Despite her outburst, Yang had quickly gotten over her shock. She'd often said that she didn't care about Blake's past, and she'd meant it. Even if Blake had been with Adam, she was still the same Blake that Yang loved. She was still the same Blake that Yang so desperately needed right now.

Yang shook her head clear. She'd been in the shower long enough, she decided. There was no point in using up all the hot water if she was just going to stand there not enjoying it. She reached for a washcloth that was hanging on a nearby hook with her mechanical arm.

Yang cleaned herself off, washing away a week's worth of dirt and grime. It occurred to her that if anyone was watching they might find it alarming that she was wearing her prosthetic in the shower. Fortunately, Weiss had made sure that no expense had been spared on its construction. It was completely waterproof. Yang could jump in a lake and swim to the bottom and her arm would be fine. That was a good thing too because Yang hadn't even thought about taking her arm off until just now.

It struck Yang as odd when she realized that she didn't even consciously think about using her artificial arm anymore. At some point, she wasn't sure when, it had become normal. She'd thought that the day she finally internalized using her prosthetic would've been a momentous occasion, not something that quietly slipped by her notice. Maybe all the catastrophes piling up on top of each other had forced her to finally move on, but whatever the case, Yang was thankful to have one less source of anxiety in her life.

Yang hung the washcloth back up and shut off the water. She stepped out into the tiny bathroom, grabbed a towel, and started to dry herself off. When she was sufficiently dry, she padded over to the mirror. It had fogged up during her shower, so she rubbed her left arm over it, revealing her reflection.

The face staring back at Yang in the mirror looked younger than she felt. She almost couldn't believe it was hers, but in a weird way, that gave her hope. Maybe once they'd defeated Cinder, she could become again that happy, cheerful person she'd used to be.

Yang reached up and pulled off her shower cap. A dirty, knotted mess of hair fell out from it. All things considered, Yang's hair really wasn't in that bad of shape. But she'd never gone so long without being able to perform her elaborate hair care ritual. It seemed like such a petty thing to long for, but the mundanity of it was so very appealing right now. She supposed there was nothing stopping her from giving her hair a wash, but the only tools at her disposal at the moment were a brush and whatever cheap shampoo the inn stocked up on. Yang wasn't going to settle for half measures. She decided that when this was all over, she was going to take Blake, find a market that sold some proper hair care products, and have a spa day at the best hotel they could find.

Yang grabbed her brush off the counter. She did what she could with it to work out the knots in her hair. After a good twenty minutes of careful tugging, she set the brush down. Then she glanced over to the corner of the bathroom where she'd left her clothing in a pile. There was nothing more for her to do except get dressed, but she didn't want to.

On the other side of the bathroom door was the room that Yang was supposed to share with Blake tonight. But Yang didn't want to walk out there because she knew she'd find Blake gone.

Unfortunately, when it came to troubling feelings, Blake's first instinct had always been to run, and Sienna had stirred up a whole mess of troubling feelings in Blake today. Worse still, Blake undoubtedly thought that Yang was still upset over learning about her past with Adam. Yang chided herself again for her stupid, knee-jerk reaction.

Yang had wanted to say something to smooth things over with Blake during the walk back into Hokori. But Yang knew Blake very well, and Blake's body language had made it clear that she wasn't interested in talking about it in front of Ruby and Weiss.

Yang supposed she should've said something once she and Blake had checked into their room at the inn, but by then Blake hadn't been interested in talking at all. Yang knew all of Blake's warning signs, and Blake had been giving off most of them. Anything Yang might have said would have just made things worse. And now her little sojourn to the shower had given Blake the opportunity to escape.

Yang had no fear that Blake had truly run away. There was no doubt that she was close by in case trouble unexpectedly reared its head. She'd probably even show up for breakfast tomorrow morning, but knowing that didn't make Yang feel any better.

Eventually, Yang decided it was time to stop delaying the inevitable. She grabbed her crop top and slipped it on. Then she tugged up her pants. She looked at the rest of her clothing for a moment. There was no point in putting it on if she wasn't going to leave the room again tonight. She wanted to go chasing after Blake, but she didn't think she had a chance of finding her. So she left the rest of her clothes on the floor where they lay.

Yang stepped out of the bathroom. She'd been expecting the air in the room to be chilly, but it was actually pleasantly warm. She'd been expecting the lights to be off, but a lamp had been turned on. Most of all, she'd been expecting to feel bitterly disappointed, but she wasn't anything of the sort. Blake was sitting there in the room's only chair, patiently waiting for Yang. She hadn't run away at all.

Yang felt her heart skip a beat. Blake hadn't run. In fact, she'd taken off her boots, her jacket, and even her bow. She had no intention of going anywhere tonight. A tiny smile tickled Yang's face as, despite everything, she felt a lightness fill her.

Yang walked over to the bed across from where Blake was sitting and sat down herself. She never took her eyes off Blake, like she was afraid that Blake might vanish if she did. The two of them sat there for a moment, just looking at each other.

Blake's lips curled up into an almost smile, but it quickly faded. Yang could tell that Blake wanted to say something, so she continued to sit there in silence, giving Blake the time she needed to find her words.

Finally, Blake said, "I'm sure you want to talk about Adam."

"Nope," Yang said. "There's nothing to talk about."

"There isn't?" Blake asked, looking astonished.

"So he was your lover," Yang said nonchalantly. "Doesn't matter to me. That's all in the past."

"Okay," Blake said with an uncertain nod.

Yang was truly content to leave things at that, but she knew that Blake wasn't going to be able to move past this so quickly. She said, "You know, if _you_ want to talk about it, we can."

"I…" Blake hesitated.

"It's okay, Blake," Yang said. "I'm here for you."

"I know," Blake said softly. She sighed and then began. "I first met Adam when I was very young. We both more or less grew up in the White Fang. I lost track of him when I was eight, and it wasn't until after I turned sixteen and relocated to Vale that I ran into him again."

"What brought you two back together after so long?" Yang asked.

"It wasn't anything remarkable," Blake said. "We'd just both been assigned to the same mission."

"What was the mission?" Yang asked.

"Intimidating a business owner who was refusing to serve faunus," Blake said. "If that sounds awful, it's because it was."

"You're not that person anymore, Blake," Yang said.

"Maybe," Blake said. Then she chuckled humorlessly. "It seems so harmless now, compared to what came later. I guess that's how it happens. You take one little step down the wrong path, and that makes the next one easier."

"Blake," Yang said. "Don't blame yourself for that."

Blake didn't respond. Yang knew that Blake did blame herself. She wished Blake wouldn't, but she decided to focus on one thing at a time. She asked, "What was Adam like back then?"

"I wish I could say he was different, but in hindsight, I'm not sure he was," Blake said. "But I saw him differently than I do now. When he was around, I felt like he was going to make everything better. He was strong, powerful, confident."

Yang asked, "Did you…love him?"

Blake cast her eyes down. It took her a moment to answer. "I think I did," she said regretfully.

"He didn't ever try to hurt you did he?" Yang asked. "You know, before…Beacon?"

"No. Not physically at least," Blake said. She looked back up at Yang. "And despite what happened, I honestly don't believe he ever intended to hurt me emotionally either. Not until after I left him. But watching him slowly embrace his hatred of humanity. Seeing him become more and more remorselessly violent. It tore me up inside. And I wasn't able to stop him, no matter how hard I tried."

An unpleasant memory surfaced in Yang's head. "Back during the Vytal Festival, when it looked like I'd attacked Mercury, that was what had you so worried, wasn't it?" she asked. "You thought that I might turn out to be another Adam."

"Yes," Blake said. "I'm sorry. I should've had more faith in you."

Yang looked away. She vividly recalled the rage she'd been harboring toward Adam and all the White Fang. Once or twice she'd been a hair's breadth away from killing because of it. "Maybe you should have been worried," she said.

"Why do you say that?" Blake asked.

"I'm not so sure I am all that different from Adam," Yang said. "When I came to Atlas to hunt him, I thought about doing some horrible things in the name of revenge."

"But you didn't," Blake said.

"But I could've," Yang said.

"No, you couldn't have," Blake said. "Yang, you are a lot like Adam. You share a lot of his best traits. But you're different from him too, in very important ways. Adam never truly believed that things would work out in the end like you always have. He's never seen the best in everyone he meets. And he was never looking for justice or equality. He just wanted an excuse to hurt people."

"Well then Adam's an idiot," Yang said. "If he was dating you and still couldn't see all the good in the world then he never deserved you."

"That I will agree with," Blake said.

"So then we're agreed," Yang said. "It doesn't matter that you dated Adam. He can't hurt you or me anymore. And he can't stop you from getting what you want out of life!"

Blake chuckled, genuinely this time. Yang wasn't sure why, but it was still music to her ears. She asked, "Did I say something funny?"

"No," Blake said, shaking her head. "But I'm sure what you meant was that Adam can't stop me from getting you."

"I meant what I said. But you've got to admit that getting me in the deal is a nice bonus. I mean, have you seen me?"

Blake laughed. Then she smiled at Yang.

"What?" Yang asked.

"It's just been awhile since I've seen you act so confident," Blake said.

"Well if I am, it's only because of you," Yang said.

"You've never needed me for that," Blake said.

"Yeah I did!" Yang said in all seriousness. "I still do! So don't think I'm going to let Adam come between us."

"Alright," Blake said.

"So, do you feel better?" Yang asked.

Blake sighed, but it was one of relief. "Yes. I do," she said.

Yang held out her arms. "Better enough for a hug?" she asked.

Blake smiled. Without a word, she got up out of her chair and stepped over to the bed. She sat down next to Yang and wrapped her arms around her. Yang was surprised by just how soothing it felt to be held by Blake. She gladly hugged Blake back, eager for more.

Blake tilted her head up and looked Yang in the eye. There was a beautiful expression on Blake's face. Yang couldn't quite put a name to the emotion it conveyed. The best she could do was call it love, although that word didn't seem weighty enough.

Blake leaned in and kissed Yang on her lips. It felt like forever to Yang since she'd shared this simple pleasure with Blake, and its absence had made her all the more hungry for it. She needed Blake's lips on hers more than anything. Yang opened up to Blake and let her deepen the kiss. Even so, they both kept things slow. This kiss was not one of explosive passion; it was tender and enduring, something meant to last forever.

By the time Yang's and Blake's lips parted, they were both short of breath. Yang rested her forehead on Blake's and looked longingly at her. Blake looked right back at Yang with equal yearning.

"I love you, Yang," Blake said.

"I love you too, Blake," Yang said. "I love you so much."

Yang glanced at the pillows resting at the head of the bed. They looked very inviting. "Come on," Yang said to Blake. She took her by the hand and pulled her along as she crawled up the bed.

Yang laid down on her right side, and Blake curled up next to her. Yang sighed happily. She'd needed this so much more than she'd realized. For just one night, the world and all its troubles would have to wait. The end of the world might come tomorrow, but that didn't matter to Yang. Tonight belonged to her and Blake.

Yang absently ran her fingers along the soft skin and taut muscles of Blake's belly. The feel of it was intoxicating. But then, Yang's fingers found something she didn't expect, a rough patch that marred Blake's perfection. She glanced down and saw that she was touching the scar tissue left behind from where Blake had been burned.

Blake's hand came up and covered up her burn, gently pushing Yang's fingers away.

"I'm sorry," Yang said. "Did I hurt you?"

"No…" Blake said. "It's…it's healed. At least as much as it's going to."

"Then what's wrong?" Yang asked.

"Nothing," Blake said.

"Blake…" Yang said. She knew Blake was lying.

"I'm just worried about…what you'll think," Blake said.

Yang thought Blake was being ridiculous, but then she realized that not so long ago she'd been worried about the exact same thing. Something clicked in Yang's head. She finally understood why her prosthetic felt normal to her now, and it didn't have anything to do with any disasters she might be caught up in.

Yang sat up in bed and held out her artificial arm to Blake.

"Yang?" Blake asked, sitting up as well.

"Take my robo-arm off."

"Are you sure?"

"I'm sure."

Blake reached up and grasped the prosthetic right below where it joined Yang's body, but she hesitated.

"Blake," Yang said. "This arm isn't part of me. It's just a tool I use. And right now, I don't need it."

Blake looked at Yang and nodded. Then she gave the arm a sharp twist and pulled it free from its ports.

Yang took the arm from Blake and tossed it off the bed. "Now," she said. "Do I look any less beautiful to you?"

"No," Blake said.

"Well some little scar isn't going to make you any less beautiful to me," Yang said.

"Alright," Blake said, sounding genuinely relieved.

"I want you to look at me, Blake," Yang said. "This is who I am. This is all of me. And I'm complete. But only because of you."

"What did I have to do with it?" Blake asked.

"You loved me when I couldn't love myself," Yang said. "I never would have made it this far without you."

Yang could see the glint of tears forming in the corners of Blake's eyes. She reached out and gently dried them with her hand. She was in danger of breaking down into tears herself, so she cuddled up with Blake again. Both of them laid back down. Yang whispered into Blake's ear, "I love you."

All Blake could do was nod. She reached for Yang's hand and held it tightly. A blissful stillness settled over the room. It was a blessed eye in the storm, and there was nowhere else Yang would rather be.

* * *

Yang would have paid almost any price for the peace of that night to last, but unfortunately, it was not to be. Early the next day, still half an hour from dawn, a scream, followed by a crashing sound, echoed through the air.

Yang was awake and alert in an instant. She shot up in bed. Her eyes darted around the room, trying to spot any danger, but nothing seemed to be out of place. Blake sat up a moment later with her ears perked up high.

Suddenly, a muffled cry filtered through the inn's walls, "Help! Help!"

Yang and Blake glanced at each other. Without a word they both jumped out of bed. Yang dove for her arm where it had ended up on the floor last night, and Blake went for her ribbon. Yang reattached her prosthetic and Blake tied up her ears in record time. They both grabbed their weapons and sprinted for the door, still wearing the clothes they'd gone to bed in.

Out in the hallway, the door to Ruby and Weiss's room opened. Ruby popped out of it followed by Weiss. They were both dressed in their sleepwear, but they were both armed. Team JNPR's rooms were up on the next floor. Yang wasn't sure if they'd heard the cries or not, but she didn't think there was time to go check.

Weiss asked, "Does anyone know what's happening?"

Blake said, "Whoever called for help, it sounded like it came from the common room."

Ruby said, "Then let's go!"

Team RWBY charged down the hallway and practically threw themselves down the stairs. They burst into the inn's common room. A young woman, one of the inn's employees by the look of her, was cowering against a wall. Not far from her was a creature unlike any Yang had ever seen before. It was obviously a grimm, but it certainly wasn't one that Professor Port had covered in his class. It looked like a jellyfish, or maybe a squid, except that it was floating in the air. Thin, red tentacles dangled below its body, and each of them were tipped with a razor-sharp barb.

Team RWBY all charged at the squid-thing, but the grimm darted for the young lady with surprising speed. It wrapped two of its tentacles around the woman's neck and pulled her bodily to her feet. She let out a choking sound as the tentacles tightened, and then a third tentacle went flying for her head, barb first.

Yang thought she was about to see the young lady die, but then a strange thing happened. The grimm actually interposed its victim between itself and its would-be attackers. It didn't stab the woman, but rather, held the point of its barb against her temple.

Everyone in Team RWBY skidded to a halt, not wanting to hit the young lady by accident. The grimm just floated there where it was.

Ruby asked, "What's it doing?"

Weiss said, "It almost looks like it's…holding her hostage."

A luminescence began glowing from the grimm. Images resolved themselves on its body, and suddenly, Cinder's face was staring out from the creature.

"Hello, Ruby Rose," Cinder said.

Ruby's mouth fell open in shock, but she quickly recovered. "Cinder," she said with a sneer.

"You and I have unfinished business," Cinder said.

"Oh yeah?" Ruby asked. "Well what are you going to do about it?"

"Me? Nothing," Cinder said. "You, however, are going to come to me."

"Why should I?" Ruby asked.

"Because if you don't…he dies," Cinder said. The images on the grimm shifted like a camera pulling back. Next to Cinder, someone was chained to a slab of rock. He was bloodied and unconscious, but alive.

"Dad!" Ruby shouted.

Yang's heart stopped in her chest. She couldn't believe it. Dad was still alive.

"I'm waiting for you in Kuroyuri," Cinder said. "I think you know the way. You and the Winter Maiden will be here by tomorrow, or your father dies. And just to show you I mean business…."

The tentacle pressing its barb into the Young Woman's temple twitched.

"No!" Ruby shouted. She surged forward with incredible speed. In the blink of an eye, she and Crescent Rose cleanly severed all of the grimm's squid-like limbs.

The young woman fell to the ground, gasping for breath. She pawed at the lifeless tentacles still wrapped around her neck, trying to get them off. The grimm itself made a noise that sounded halfway between a scream and plumbing stopping up.

Yang, seeing an opening, lunged at the grimm. She plunged her fist into the creature's body, which burst open like a water balloon. A foul-looking fluid poured out onto the floor as the creature crashed down, but it all quickly began to dissolve like any other grimm.

Blake rushed over to the young lady and helped her pull off the remains of the tentacles. "Thank…thank you," the woman said with trembling lips. "Are we safe now?"

"Yes," Blake said reassuringly. "We're safe."

Yang looked at Weiss. "Call Ironwood," she said.

"But…" Ruby said. "Won't Cinder hurt Dad when she sees that we didn't come alone?"

Yang didn't immediately respond.

After a moment's pause, Weiss said, "I suppose Cinder didn't specify that we were to come alone."

"It wouldn't matter if she did," Yang said. "We need to stop her, and to do that we need everyone's help."

Ruby looked down for a moment, but when she looked up again, there was resolve in her eyes. "Right," she said. "Then this is going to be it. We're taking Cinder down."

Yang said, "Weiss. Call Ironwood."

"Of course," Weiss said, pulling out her scroll.

Yang grabbed her own scroll from her pocket. There was someone she needed to contact as well. She pulled up Neo's number and typed out a message.

 _Get ready. It's time._

* * *

PART IV

Yang had never been onboard an Atlesian warship before. Had the circumstances been better, she would've undoubtedly been enjoying the experience. Ironwood's ship was like a small city flying through the air. There seemed to be no end to its corridors and no shortage of crew to fill them.

The ship had arrived in Hokori to pick up Teams RWBY and JNPR only an hour after Cinder had delivered her ultimatum. It was probably the most exciting thing that had happened in that backwater settlement in years. Unfortunately for the locals, there hadn't been much time for them to gawk. No sooner had Yang and her companions stepped on board than the ship had risen back up into the sky and set course for Kuroyuri at top speed.

Team RWBY was presently sitting together around a table in the ship's conference room. Ironwood had brought them there following a stop by the armory. He'd come through with his promise to provide them with some experimental Dust rounds. Unfortunately, the rounds were in limited supply due to how difficult it was to manufacture the special Dust they utilized. Ruby and Weiss had decided not to take any since they were Maidens, but there had still only been enough to fill one of Yang's gauntlets and provide a single clip of ammunition for Gambol Shroud.

Ironwood had left Team RWBY shortly afterward to go attend to the business of captaining his ship, but much to Ruby's delight, Qrow had soon taken his place. Ruby had wasted no time catching her uncle up on everything that had happened in his absence. Right now she was animatedly describing the unusual grimm that they'd encountered this morning at the inn.

"I'm telling you, Uncle Qrow," Ruby said. "It had these weird, red tentacles! I've never seen anything like it!"

"Most people haven't," Qrow said. "It's called a seer. I don't think one's been spotted for over a decade."

Yang said, "Good thing we killed it then. Hopefully it'll be another decade before anyone sees another one."

"There's always more grimm," Qrow said. "But the grimm aren't why we're heading to Kuroyuri."

Ruby said, "You've got that right."

Weiss, who had been sitting there quietly the whole time, said to Qrow, "Since you've undoubtedly been conferring with Ironwood, I'm curious as to what his plans are for dealing with Cinder."

"That depends on what we find waiting for us in Kuroyuri," Qrow said.

"No," Weiss said, shaking her head. "I meant after the battle."

Qrow gave Weiss a sideways glance. "I think you already know the answer to that," he said.

Ruby looked confused. "What are you two talking about?"

Yang said, "They're talking about killing Cinder. Isn't that right, Uncle Qrow?"

"Yeah," Qrow said. "That's right."

"Killing?" Ruby asked. "But shouldn't we…" she trailed off uncertainly.

Weiss said, "There's no prison in the world that could hold her."

"I…I guess I knew that," Ruby said.

Qrow said, "There's more to it, but I don't really have time to explain. Let's just say it's important for the powers of the Spring and Fall Maidens to pass on."

"Alright," Ruby said, but she still sounded hesitant.

"If you don't think you have it in you, I can strike the final blow," Qrow said.

"No. We're huntresses. It's our job to protect the world. And if killing Cinder is the only way to do it, then we'll do it," Ruby said. She looked at her teammates. "Right, guys?"

Blake said, "It does feel a bit wrong. We were trained to kill grimm, not people. It's a line that none of us have crossed yet."

Qrow pulled out his flask. He unscrewed the cap, but he didn't take a drink yet. "If you're really going to be huntresses, it's a line you'll cross sooner or later."

Weiss said, "You make it sound so inevitable."

Qrow took a swig from his flask before recapping it and putting it away. "It's not something they advertise in the academies' brochures," he said. "But the real world doesn't play nice."

Yang said, "I don't think you need to tell us that anymore, Uncle Qrow. Cinder's never played nice, and kidnapping Dad was the last straw."

Qrow's expression darkened at the mention of Taiyang's fate. "Yeah," he said quietly.

Weiss turned to her teammates. "It's like Ruby said. We all know what needs to be done, and we're all prepared to do it. Right?"

Blake nodded. "Right."

Yang said, "Right."

Ruby smiled ever so slightly. "Then Cinder won't know what hit her."

Yang said to Weiss, "I'm sure you're itching to get some revenge for—" She cut herself off when she realized that it might be a bit insensitive to bring up the subject of Winter's death.

Unfortunately for Yang, Weiss had caught her meaning. But to Yang's surprise, Weiss said, "I don't think revenge is what I'm after anymore."

Yang didn't think she would feel the same way if she had been in Weiss's shoes. She was about to say something to that effect when she suddenly recalled her conversation with Blake last night, about the differences between her and Adam. Yang began to worry when she realized that she'd accepted the idea of killing Cinder without even giving the notion a second thought. It didn't feel the same as when she'd been out for Adam's blood, but maybe that should have worried her even more.

"Weiss?" Yang asked. "What are you after?"

Before Weiss could answer, Nora came running into the room. Jaune and Ren trailed in behind her. "Guys! Guys!" Nora shouted. "I've got it!"

Ruby asked, "You've got what?"

"The perfect team name!" Nora said.

"You do?" Ruby asked. "What is it?"

"Team Justice!" Nora said.

Ruby scratched her head. She muttered, "So, J…a W for the u…."

"No, no!" Nora said, shaking her head. "It's not our initials. It's just the word! Justice!"

Yang asked, "How did you come up with that?"

"It's what we all want, isn't it?" Nora asked.

Weiss smiled. "It is," she said. "Thank you, Nora. It's perfect."

Nora beamed with pride.

"Yeah," Yang said. "Justice."

Suddenly, the airship banked hard to port. Everyone grabbed on to something to keep from falling over as alarms rang out.

Jaune asked, "What was that?!"

As if in answer to Jaune's question, Ironwood's voice came over the intercom. "All hands to battle stations! Prepare to repel aerial grimm attack! All huntsmen and huntresses report to the launch bay! Repeat! All huntsmen and huntresses to the launch bay!"

Ruby jumped out of her seat. "That's us! Let's go!" she shouted.

Teams RWBY and JNPR, or rather, Team Justice burst out of the conference room along with Qrow. They all ran down the ship's corridors, dodging crewmembers who were hurrying to their posts. Yang could hear the sound of heavy weapons fire echoing throughout the ship. There must have been no shortage of targets outside because the fire wasn't letting up even for a second.

It only took a minute or two for everyone to reach the warship's lowest deck, which was nothing more than a giant hanger for its various auxiliary craft. Up ahead, the bay's massive doors were wide open. Ironwood was standing by them, barking orders into a scroll. He motioned for Team Justice to join him as soon as he saw them, shouting, "Over here!"

Everyone ran up to the bay doors. Yang was a bit perturbed by the sight outside. She was pretty sure that it wasn't even noon yet, but the sky was pitch-black. Dozens upon dozens of griffons were swarming around the ship. They were nearly invisible against the unnatural darkness, but Yang could see their silhouettes every time the guns fired.

Ruby asked, "Are we in Kuroyuri already?"

"Not yet!" Ironwood said. "We're a few minutes out, but it seems that Cinder isn't going to wait!"

Weiss drew Myrtenaster. "Do you want us to clear the skies?" she asked.

"No," Ironwood said. "My ship can handle it. Cinder may know you're coming, but she doesn't know precisely when or how. I'd rather not give your position away just yet."

Ruby asked, "Can't she sense our Maiden auras?"

Ironwood looked questioningly at Qrow.

Qrow shrugged. "Probably," he said. "But who knows how good she is at it."

Ironwood nodded. He said, "In a war, you never voluntarily give information to the enemy. If we're not certain she knows where you are then we shouldn't make it obvious just yet."

"Okay," Ruby said. She turned to everyone else. "Alright, Team Justice! When we get to—!"

A thunderous roar cut Ruby off. All heads turned to look out the bay doors. Amongst the swarming griffons, a pair of massive, red eyes could be seen. They were off in the distance still, but they were drawing closer with alarming speed.

The airship's guns fired again, and Yang caught a glimpse of the outline of a gargantuan, winged beast. "Dragon!" she shouted.

Nora, of all people, looked nervous. "Another one?!" she exclaimed. "Wasn't the one at Beacon bad enough?!"

Qrow muttered, "She must really mean business."

Jaune drew his sword and shield, for all the good they would do, and said, "Ruby. Weiss. I think it's time to make it obvious where you are."

"Right!" Ruby said, whipping out Crescent Rose. "Everyone together!"

There was a rattling of metal and ceramic as everyone else reached for their weapons. Ironwood joined them, drawing his pistol and leveling it at the incoming monster. He said, "Hold fire until it gets close. We don't want a single shot to miss."

Yang's fists clenched as she took aim with Ember Celica. The malice in the dragon's eyes seemed to pierce right through her, and she swore she could smell a whiff of brimstone on the air. She was somewhat reassured when a silver light began shining out of Crescent Rose's barrel, and a white glow began shimmering over Weiss. But even with two Maidens on their side, Yang wasn't sure they could take down a dragon before it swatted their ship out of the sky.

"Get ready," Ruby said as the dragon drew in even closer. "Hold on. Hold on. Aaand…."

Before Ruby could give the command to fire, a bullhead transport screamed in out of nowhere. It slammed into the dragon and exploded in a ball of fire. The great beast let out a roar and veered off course, falling out of sight of everyone standing in the launch bay.

Nora asked, "What was that!?"

It was Blake who answered. "It's the White Fang!"

Seconds later, the dragon swooped back into view. A half-dozen White Fang were clutching its neck and back. Poised on top of the creature's head, like some figure out of myth, was Sienna Khan. Yang could just make out Sienna's wild-eyed expression.

Sienna let out a mighty battle cry as she plunged her spear into one of the dragon's eyes. The dragon roared in pain and once again fell away from view. Four more bullheads rose up in its place, and they took up flanking positions around Ironwood's ship.

A voice sounded from Ironwood's scroll, "General! Incoming communication!"

"Let's hear it!" Ironwood said.

A new voice came over Ironwood's scroll. "Attention Atlesian ship! Continue on course. High Leader Khan of the White Fang has sent us to assist you."

The doors on the sides of the bullheads opened, and gunfire erupted out of them, piercing the bodies of any griffons that dared to get close.

Weiss lowered Myrtenaster. "I can't believe I'm saying this, but…I'm glad the White Fang are here."

Yang said, "You took the words right out of my mouth."

Ironwood pointed out the doors. "Kuroyuri, straight ahead!"

Yang wasn't so sure that Ironwood was right. If that was Kuroyuri coming into view below them, then the town had been completely transfigured into something unrecognizable. Jagged protrusions of obsidian-like rock were sticking up from the ground, looking for all the world like gargantuan teeth. But they were nothing compared to the sight that awaited everyone as the ship flew in closer. In the center of what used to be the town square, a tall obsidian spire was jutting up hundreds of feet into the air.

"Well," Ren said, sounding mildly nonplused. "Cinder certainly has a flair for the dramatic."

Jaune asked, "Is it just me, or does that…spire-thing sort of look like Beacon Tower."

"Yeah," Ruby said quietly. "It does."

"Miss Schnee," Ironwood said. "Can you sense where Cinder is located?"

"Yes," Weiss said. "She's at the top of the spire."

Ruby muttered, "Just like Beacon."

Qrow said, "Cinder must really be a sore loser."

"What do you mean?" Ruby asked.

"Beacon Tower is where you beat her the first time," Qrow said. "She probably wants to correct that mistake."

Yang said, "Don't let her get to you, Sis! She lost then, and she's going to lose now!"

"I know," Ruby said. She looked down at the town below. "It's not going to be easy though. There's got to be a lot of grimm down there."

Jaune said, "That's where we come in. We'll keep the grimm away from the spire while you fight Cinder."

"Yeah!" Nora cheered. "I bet those White Fang guys are going to help us with that too!"

Ironwood said, "And my ship will keep any airborne grimm at bay."

"Alright!" Ruby said, sounding encouraged. "Everyone get ready then!"

"Just a moment," Ironwood said. "Miss Xiao Long. Miss Belladonna. It might be best if you two join Mr. Arc's squad."

"What? Why?" Yang asked.

"Neither of you are Maidens," Ironwood said. "Cinder might very easily kill you."

Unfortunately, Yang knew that Ironwood had a good point, but the thought of not being there for the final battle with Cinder was galling. This was what she'd come to Mistral to do. This was what was going to make all the pain and loss worth it. Yang glanced at Blake. She saw the same struggle in Blake's eyes.

Suddenly, Ruby said, "Mr. Ironwood, sir, I need Yang and Blake to beat Cinder."

Yang asked. "You sure about that, Rubes?" As badly as she wanted to take Cinder on, there was too much at stake to put what she wanted ahead of what was needed. Ruby and Weiss couldn't afford any distractions while they fought Cinder. As much as it pained Yang, she said, "If you think it's better for me to go with Jaune, I will."

"Oh, no way," Ruby said. "You and Blake are coming with me. It'll be alright. Trust me."

"I do trust you," Yang said with a smile. She glanced at Blake, and Blake nodded her approval.

Ironwood looked uncertain. He turned to Qrow.

"Don't look at me," Qrow said. "Ruby's a smart kid. She knows what's she's doing."

"Very well," Ironwood said. "And what will you be doing, Qrow?"

"My job," Qrow said. Then he pulled out his flask. "Just don't expect me to do it sober."

"I wouldn't dream of it," Ironwood said.

Qrow tilted his flask back and drained what was left of it. Then he smacked his lips with a satisfied sound and put the empty flask back into his coat pocket.

The spire was getting close outside. A mist seemed to be covering the top of it, and Yang thought she could see an ominous red light shining from within that shroud. If it was an attempt on Cinder's part to set an unsettling scene, it was working.

The escorting bullheads suddenly swooped in low. White Fang began leaping from them, dropping into the town below. Among their number, Yang caught a glimpse of something pink. "Good luck, you little psychopath," she muttered to herself. She still hated Neo with every fiber of her being, but if Weiss could tolerate working with Sienna, Yang supposed she could do the same with Neo.

Jaune stepped forward. "I think that's our cue."

Nora held her grenade launcher high in a sign of triumph. "Let's show them what Team Justice can do!"

"Indeed," Ren agreed.

Ruby said, "Keep that spire clear, guys! We'll do the rest."

Jaune, Nora, and Ren walked to the lip of the launch bay doors. Then they all leaped into the open air and vanished from sight.

"I'm going too," Qrow said. "Hey, Kiddo."

"Yeah?" Ruby asked.

"You've done good. You too, Kid," Qrow said, glancing at Yang. Then he crouched down and transformed into a bird. He took flight out of the launch bay and disappeared into the blackened sky.

Weiss said, "I suppose it was too much to ask that your uncle acknowledge myself or Blake."

Yang said, "He didn't insult you."

"Yeah!" Ruby added. "That means he really likes you!"

Weiss shook her head. "Your family is strange, Ruby."

"Yup!" Ruby said.

Ironwood said, "Get ready. We're almost there."

Ruby took a hold of Weiss's hand. Yang couldn't be sure, but she thought she saw a faint shimmer of energy pass between them. Then they both smiled simultaneously. Yang figured it must be a Maiden thing.

Yang turned to Blake. She knew full well that either one of them could die today. It would be a lie to say that she was at peace with that, but she wouldn't be able to live with herself knowing she didn't do everything she could to stop Cinder. She was afraid, but she would use her fear to drive herself forward, not hold herself back.

"Yang?" Blake asked. "Is something wrong?"

"I just need you to kiss me," Yang said.

Blake didn't hesitate. She stepped up and kissed Yang on the lips. Yang's arms wrapped around Blake, and Blake's hands cradled the back of Yang's head. Yang tried to take in every detail of this moment, the feeling of Blake's body, the taste of her lips, even the fear and trepidation that were intensifying everything. She wanted to commit this moment perfectly to memory, just in case it was the last time she ever got to kiss Blake.

"Go! Now!" Ironwood shouted.

Ruby jumped out of the airship, followed seconds later by Weiss. Blake's lips were cruelly ripped away from Yang's as they both responded to Ironwood's command on instinct. They sprinted for the bay doors in unison and threw themselves into the waiting jaws of what had once been Kuroyuri.

The top of the spire rushed up to meet Yang as she plummeted toward Remnant. She could see now that the mist shrouding the spire was more like a dense fog. Yang didn't like the look of it, but it was far too late for her to do anything about it.

Below Yang, Ruby and Weiss vanished as the fog swallowed them up. A feeling of dread settled into the pit of Yang's stomach. She glanced to where Blake was falling beside her. "Blake!" she shouted, struggling to be heard over the whoosh of air. "Take my hand!"

Blake reached out for Yang. It was a stretch, but they managed to lock hands. Yang pulled Blake to her side just as the fog enveloped them.

Yang found herself completely blinded by the fog. She could barely even see Blake, and she couldn't tell how close they might be to the top of the spire. She started rapidly firing Ember Celica downward in an effort to slow their descent, and just in time too, because her feet suddenly crashed into something solid.

Yang hit the top of the spire, and she hit it hard. Her legs buckled from the impact. She and Blake went tumbling across some kind of floor. When they came to a stop, Blake rolled out of Yang's arm and sprung to her feet. She drew Gambol Shroud from her bandolier quick as a flash.

Yang got back to her feet as well, rubbing her knee where it had painfully collided with whatever they'd landed on. She called out, "Ruby? Weiss? Are you alright?"

Ruby's voice came floating out of the fog. "We're fine, Yang! Where are you?"

"We're here!" Yang said.

"Where's here?!" Ruby asked.

Yang swore she could hear Weiss sigh exasperatedly. Then Weiss's voice came from the same general direction as Ruby's. "Everyone stand still for a moment."

There was a pause, and then a wind rose up from out of nowhere. It quickly grew from a gentle breeze to a howling gale. Yang covered her face with her arms and leaned forward to keep herself from being knocked over. Then, just as suddenly as it had started, the wind stopped.

Yang lowered her arms. The fog was gone. She saw Ruby and Weiss standing a short distance away from her and Blake. Weiss was just lowering her hand. Yang was finally able to look around and take stock of where they'd all landed. There were no walls anywhere to be seen—the edges of the spire simply dropped off into open space—but it was a large enough area that Yang wasn't particularly worried about falling off. The floor Team RWBY was standing on was made out of that same obsidian-like rock that composed the rest of the spire. It was smooth like glass, but when Yang looked into it, her reflection didn't stare back at her. Instead, she saw a dim, red light that was shifting and flowing just beneath the spire's surface. It made her dizzy if she focused on it for too long. The only feature on top of the spire of any kind was a single column, protruding up from the floor at its dead center. An unconscious man was chained to it, and Yang's jaw clenched when she realized who he was.

Ruby must have seen the man too, because she exclaimed, "Dad!"

Ruby was just about to run to Taiyang when Weiss threw her arm in front of her and shouted, "No!"

"Weiss! We have to—!" Ruby started.

"Stop, Ruby! It's a trap!" Weiss said. She pointed at the pillar. "Look!"

In a circle on the floor around Taiyang were a series of pulsating, red lights. They'd been difficult to spot against the red glow already filtering up through the spire, but now that Yang saw them, they were impossible to miss. They looked a bit like Weiss's glyphs although nowhere near as intricate. Yang had the distinct impression that anyone who got near them would find themselves on the receiving end of something very unpleasant.

"We have to do something!" Ruby said. "Maybe we can…. I…I don't know what!"

Yang wanted to save her dad just as badly as Ruby did, but she knew that was exactly what Cinder was counting on. "Ruby," she said. "What we need to do is take care of Cinder. Dad and everyone else will still be in danger until we do."

"Okay. Right," Ruby said, visibly trying to calm herself down.

Blake, who had been glancing around the spire this whole time, asked, "But where is Cinder?"

"I'm right here," a malicious voice boomed out, seemingly coming from everywhere at once.

"Up in the sky!" Weiss said.

Everyone looked up. Cinder was hovering in the air, radiating incredible power. She slowly descended toward Team RWBY. When her feet touched down, she took a few sauntering steps forward.

"So kind of you to join me," Cinder said as her heels clicked against the floor. "I was worried that my guest was going to expire before you got here."

Anger and fear were burning inside of Yang, but she didn't let them get to her. Instead, she struck a dismissive pose and said, "Wow. Overdramatic much?"

Cinder frowned. She said, "Today I fulfill my destiny and assume the mantle that fate has prepared for me. That deserves a little pomp and ceremony, don't you think?"

Ruby said, "I'll tell you what I think! Weiss! Now!"

A white glyph instantly appeared underneath Weiss's feet, and Ruby began to glow with a silver light. Within the space of a single second, they both surged forward with blinding speed, perfectly in sync with one another. They became indistinct blurs as they split up and headed for Cinder's flanks.

The white and silver blurs collided with Cinder faster than Yang could blink. Then time seemed to freeze. Yang very clearly saw Crescent Rose and Myrtenaster striking Cinder. She saw both of Cinder's palms pointing toward her assailants. She saw the determined look on Ruby's face and the focused one on Weiss's. Then twin burst of light came from Cinder's hands, and Weiss and Ruby were blown back.

Ash spontaneously appeared in the air and gathered into Cinder's hand. It clumped together and took on the form of a huge sword with a curved blade. Cinder twirled the sword around with a flourish as it began to smolder, and then it burst into flame.

Cinder grinned wickedly at Weiss and Ruby. She said, "If that's really the best you can do, this won't take long."

Ruby glanced at Weiss. Weiss must have understood what Ruby was trying to tell her because she nodded. Ruby took off running at super speeds again, and Yang quickly lost track of her. But she could keep track of Weiss who charged at Cinder, not on one of her glyphs but on foot. Cinder seemed amused. She brought her sword up into a ready position and stood her ground.

As Weiss closed the distance between her and Cinder, a glyph appeared in front of her. At the last moment, she lunged forward unexpectedly, and the ghostly, glowing head of a boarbatusk burst out of her glyph. The summoned grimm's tusks crashed into Cinder with enough force to crush an ordinary person's bones. Cinder's monstrously powerful aura absorbed the blow, but the strength of the attack was great enough to knock her off balance.

The boarbatusk's head vanished, but Weiss wasn't done. She struck at Cinder with her sword and managed to land a few good hits. However, Cinder quickly recovered. She parried Weiss's next strike and then brought her ashen sword plunging down toward Weiss's head with alarming swiftness.

Weiss raised her arm to block, and a knightly suit of armor formed from her shoulder to the tips of her fingers. Cinder's sword struck the armor, glancing ineffectually off of it.

Cinder reeled back in surprise. Weiss took the opening and thrust her sword forward. As she did so, the armor she'd summoned to her arm vanished, and its light reappeared over Myrtenaster. Weiss's attack caught Cinder in the chest. Then Weiss wheeled around and struck again, pressing her advantage.

Weiss didn't hold the advantage for long. Cinder found her footing again and spun out of the way of Weiss's next attack. She brought her sword around with her. Its blade sliced through the air toward Weiss, ready to cut her in half.

Weiss leaped back, but Cinder's sword had such a long reach that it looked like Weiss wasn't going to completely dodge the incoming blow. But then a pair of nevermore's wing sprouted out of Weiss's back. They flapped, pulling Weiss up into the air, and Cinder's massive sword swung harmlessly underneath her feet.

Weiss hovered in the air for a moment on her ethereal wings before they folded back, sending her diving toward Cinder. Myrtenaster clashed against Cinder's sword. Weiss's wings vanished as her feet hit the ground, and she began trading blows with Cinder yet again.

A few feet away, Yang had been intently watching the battle unfolding in front of her. She knew it was extremely dangerous for her to go toe-to-toe with Cinder, but nevertheless, she'd been looking for any opportunity to help Weiss out. Unfortunately, while Cinder's arrogance was on full display, she hadn't forgotten how to fight, and she wasn't leaving herself vulnerable to a surprise attack.

Blake was standing right beside Yang. Yang said to her, "We've got to get in there."

"Yes, we do," Blake agreed.

"What do you think?" Yang asked. "Bumblebee probably won't work. Maybe Black Dragon?"

The truth of the matter was that Yang didn't think any of her and Blake's team moves would be all that effective. She was hoping that Blake had some brilliant idea they could try. But to Yang's surprise, Blake said, "We could always just shoot her."

Yang grinned. "I like the way you think, Blakey. I'll go right, you go left?"

Blake nodded, folding back Gamble Shroud's blade.

"Alright," Yang said. "Go!"

Yang and Blake took off running in opposite directions. They came around to Cinder's sides. Yang pulled back her right fist. She didn't want to use the special Dust rounds she had loaded in her left gauntlet quite yet, not with Weiss so close. She took careful aim and let loose a barrage against Cinder.

The shells from Ember Celica streaked through the air and struck true. Blake fired off some deadly-accurate shots from her pistol at Cinder as well, but Cinder hardly even seemed to notice that she was under attack. Her aura absorbed everything, and she continued to focus her attention entirely on her duel with Weiss.

Yang and Blake continued firing. Yang yearned to get up close and personal with Cinder and let her fists do the talking, but she knew that wasn't a good idea just yet. Maybe if she shot at Cinder long enough she'd at least prove to be distracting.

Suddenly, Cinder pulled her ashen sword in half, and it reformed into two smaller blades. She parried Myrtenaster with one and sent the other slashing at Weiss's neck. Yang saw the alarm in Weiss's eyes. She braced herself to see Weiss take a bad hit. But then Weiss simply vanished in a silver flash.

Yang blink in surprise as Weiss reappeared an instant later a few feet back from where she'd been standing. Cinder, who'd been expecting to connect with her attack, hit nothing but the empty air. She teetered off balance, having fully committed to the swing.

Yang finally saw the opening she'd been looking for this whole time. She fired Ember Celica behind her, propelling herself forward. She closed the gap between her and Cinder in a heartbeat and threw a hard punch into the side of Cinder's head.

Yang's fist crashed against Cinder's aura. Yang would've said it felt like punching concrete, but she'd punched concrete before, and it wasn't nearly as unyielding. Nevertheless, she followed up with a left hook, hoping she could at least do some damage.

Cinder's head slowly turned toward Yang. She gave her a look that was halfway in between incredulous and contemptuous. She started to say, "Do you really—?"

Yang cut Cinder off with another punch to her face. It didn't dent Cinder's aura, but it did shut her up. Yang considered that a win.

Cinder had obviously had enough of Yang's impudence. Her foot came flying up in a kick heading right for Yang's gut. Yang knew she was in for a world of hurt, but then she felt a pair of hands grab her. She was suddenly yanked away a such a high speed that her head slammed forward. She caught a flash of silver light out of the corner of her eye before she was set back down on her feet a safe distance away from Cinder.

Yang's head spun as she tried to reorient herself. "Rubes?" she asked.

Cinder must have come to the same conclusion that Yang had, because she called out, "You! Don't think for a second that—!"

Cinder was interrupted by a sword and sharpened sheath whacking her over the head. Blake had suddenly appeared behind Cinder in much the same way that Weiss and Yang had vanished.

Cinder was visibly losing her temper. She lashed out at Blake only for Blake to disappear again in another flash of silver. Weiss appeared a moment later directly behind Cinder. She slammed Myrtenaster, which was once again sheathed in light, against Cinder's back.

The unseen Ruby came for Yang again, and this time Yang was ready. When Ruby dragged her up to within striking distance of Cinder, she gleefully piled the punches into Cinder's exposed flank.

Cinder's attention fell on Yang, and Yang could see the frustration building in her eyes. It was an incredibly satisfying sight, but not as satisfying as the aggravated sound Cinder made when Ruby pulled Yang back to safety again just in the nick of time.

Yang couldn't believe this crazy strategy was actually working. It was unconventional to say the least, and there was no way Ruby would've been able to sustain it for more than a few seconds if she hadn't mastered her power as a Maiden, but she had. Yang would never have dreamt up something like this, but that was probably one of the reasons why Ozpin had made Ruby the leader of the team and not her.

Ruby didn't let up. She deposited Blake beside Cinder. Cinder, wise to the game, immediately took a swipe at Blake only for Blake to disappear and for Weiss to hit her from behind.

Yang readied herself for her next turn to pummel Cinder. For the first time in what felt like forever, she was optimistic about Team RWBY's odds of stopping Cinder, but as Cinder fruitlessly traded blows with Weiss her frustration boiled over. She threw the twin blades in her hands forcefully away. One whizzed straight for Yang, and the other homed in on Blake.

Yang's instincts kicked in. Her legs coiled beneath her, and she pushed hard off the spire, trying her best to dodge. But she knew it was too late. The blade was moving too fast. An instant before it hit her, however, she was forcefully wrenched two feet to the right by a still speeding Ruby, and the blade flew harmlessly past her.

The very second Yang was out of danger, her eyes scrambled to find Blake. She didn't think even Ruby was fast enough to save both of them. She spotted Blake just as the speeding blade heading for her collided with a white glyph and shattered into specks of ash. Weiss had gotten to Blake just in time.

Unfortunately, with Weiss protecting Blake and Ruby protecting Yang, Cinder was left unfettered. Cinder's fist slammed down on the floor, and three pillars of the same obsidian substance that composed the spire shot up, one each directly beneath Yang, Blake, and Weiss. Yang felt the stone slam into her stomach with appalling force. The breath was knocked from her lungs, and she was blown off her feet. She arced up a good ten feet into the air before coming crashing back down to the spire's rock-hard surface.

Yang lay there gasping for air. She had never, not even fighting against Cinder, taken a hit like that before. Her semblance had absorbed all the energy it could from the blow, which was a considerable amount, but there had been energy to spare. The conflicting sensations of being invigorated by her semblance and simultaneously being laid out flat from Cinder's monstrous blow made her guts churn with nausea.

Yang struggled to get back to her feet. Cinder might have been moving in to kill her or Blake or Weiss right this very moment, and she needed to be able to do something about it. But try as she might, all she could do was roll herself onto her front.

With a great deal of effort, Yang lifted her head. Surprisingly, Cinder had hardly moved an inch. Yang wasn't sure why, but a moment later it all became clear. Ruby came speeding past Cinder, faster than the eye could follow. She must have struck with Crescent Rose because Cinder staggered off balance. Then Ruby zoomed by Cinder again and again, knocking her this way and that.

Confident that things were temporarily in hand, Yang desperately searched for Blake or Weiss. She found Weiss first. Weiss seemed to be stunned by the blow she'd taken but otherwise okay. She was a Maiden after all. However, when Yang's eyes fell on Blake, her heart leaped into her throat.

Blake was alive, and she was conscious, but that was of little consolation to Yang. Without a Maiden's aura or a semblance like Yang's to help her weather Cinder's attack, all Blake could do was moan in pain as she lay helpless on the floor.

Seeing Blake in such distress pushed Yang's semblance just a little bit further, enough that it started to compensate for the damage Cinder had done. Yang put her hands firmly on the floor, and with a herculean effort, she pushed herself back up to her feet.

Ruby was still harassing Cinder with her high-speed attacks, so Yang started hobbling toward Blake. Before Yang could reach her, however, Cinder finally realized the futility of trying to catch Ruby as she sped by. Cinder's eyes closed, and her fists clenched.

The rock underneath Yang's feet began to shake. Suddenly, obsidian walls erupted from the floor of the spire and shot up until they were twenty feet tall. Yang spun around in alarm. The walls surrounding her had trapped her in what looked like a series of corridors that headed off every which way. It suddenly dawned on her what was going on. Cinder had put her and her team in a maze. She must have been trying to buy herself some time, but Yang had no idea what for.

"Blake!" Yang shouted. She took off limping down one of the corridors as quickly as she could. She didn't want to play Cinder's game, but right now, she didn't have a choice. Maybe if she hurried, she could find Blake before things got worse.

Unfortunately, Yang didn't get far. The strange red light swirling inside of the spire began seeping up into the newly formed walls. It started to concentrate there, growing brighter. Yang stopped when she heard a buzzing sound. The walls began to visibly vibrate, and the sound grew louder. Yang tentatively put her left hand on one of the walls. She could feel the heat building up in it just as readily as she could see the glow intensifying.

Yang took a step back and threw her hands over her ears as the buzzing sound grew deafeningly loud. She would have run, but there was nowhere for her to run to. The walls were all around her. There was no escape.

Suddenly, the buzzing abruptly ceased. The walls stopped vibrating and then promptly exploded.

Thousands of razor-sharp shards of rock sprayed out in every direction. They ate away at Yang's aura, but there was nothing she could do about it. She found herself caught in an obsidian maelstrom, helpless to protect herself.

The shards scattered across the floor of the spire, sounding like a tsunami of shattered glass crashing to the ground. Yang felt like she'd been run over by several trucks. Somehow she was still standing, but a moment later, her legs failed her. She went teetering off balance, catching herself with her hands just before her face hit the floor.

"Blake…" Yang muttered. She pulled her head up. Relief filled her when she saw Blake and Weiss standing next to each other not far away. They both seemed to have avoided the worst of Cinder's exploding maze, no doubt because of Weiss. Yang resolved to profusely thank Weiss later, if they both survived this.

Yang didn't see Ruby anywhere, but she took that as a good sign. Cinder, however, she did see. Cinder had her index finger extended. Energy was gathered on its tip, and her eyes were darting around, searching for her prey.

Cinder's lips curled back into a sneer. "Show yourself, Ruby Rose!" she shouted. Then she pointed her finger toward where Taiyang was still chained up to the pillar. "Or your father dies!"

Yang's heart stopped in her chest. She was not prepared to watch Dad die today.

"NOW!" Cinder bellowed.

Ruby appeared a few yards away from Cinder. Crescent Rose was in her hand, and defiance glinted in her eyes, but she didn't move to attack Cinder.

Cinder smiled evilly. She kept her finger pointing at Taiyang. "That's better," she said.

Ruby folded back Crescent Rose into its rifle configuration. She slowly set its stock against her shoulder.

Cinder laughed. "You think that toy can hurt me?"

Suddenly, there was a shift in Ruby's expression. A small tinge of hope colored it. It was a subtle change—Cinder probably hadn't even noticed—but Yang had. A shape moving at the edge of Yang's peripheral vision caused her to look over at the pillar that Taiyang was chained to. She saw a bird silently glide down and land safely on top of it. A moment later, Qrow took the bird's place.

"Maybe Crescent Rose can't hurt you," Ruby said. "But she can sure do this!"

Ruby fired off two quick shots. The bullets sailed clear past Cinder. They spiraled through the air and grazed the sides of the pillar with distinct pinging sounds. Suddenly, the chains holding Taiyang in place broke in half and began to uncoil from his body.

Just as Taiyang started to slide down the pillar, Qrow grabbed him by the scruff of his collar. He hauled Taiyang up over his shoulder and then leaped clear.

"NO!" Cinder shouted. Her finger, still charged with energy, began tracking Qrow as he ran for the edge of the spire.

Before Cinder could unleash her power, one of the broken chains fell across the wards surrounding the pillar. The glow coming from all of the wards intensified, and then a massive ball of fire exploded upward, enveloping the pillar completely. Yang felt a wave of dangerously hot air wash over her an instant later, and then the fire rushed outward in all directions, consuming everything in its path.

Yang saw Qrow jump off the spire with Taiyang. She saw the fire swallow up Cinder. And she knew she was next. With her aura all but depleted, she realized she might very well be watching her own death rushing up to greet her. She forced herself to her feet, but she knew full well that she couldn't run fast enough right now to escape. So she stood her ground and prayed for a miracle.

Yang's prayers were answered with seconds to spare. Ruby came speeding up and pulled Yang over next to Weiss and Blake. Weiss brought her hands up, and a ghostly taijitu slithered up out of the ground. The serpent coiled around Team RWBY as they huddled together.

"Hold on!" Weiss shouted.

The wave of fire struck an instant later. Weiss's summoned grimm hissed in distress, and Weiss cried out along with it, but she and it held firm. Not a lick of fire touched Team RWBY.

When things had quieted down, Ruby asked, "Is everyone alright?"

"I'll live," Yang said. She was slowly recovering thanks to her aura. She could at least walk under her own power again. Maybe she could even throw a few punches, for all the good that would do. "What about you, Blake?" she asked.

"I'm…okay," Blake said.

Yang wasn't sure she believed Blake, but she knew she should be grateful that Blake and everyone else were still alive.

"Get ready," Weiss said. "I'm releasing the summon."

The taijitu began to fade away, but even before it had vanished completely, a fireball ripped through its body and slammed into Ruby. Ruby yelped in pain as she was bowled off her feet and flung away from the group.

"Ruby!" Weiss called out.

Weiss turned to run for Ruby, but Blake shouted, "Weiss, look out!"

The taijitu finally winked into complete nonexistence. Cinder was only a few feet away, looking only slightly singed. Her finger was pointing directly at Weiss, and a crackling ray of energy sprung forth from it.

Weiss threw up both of her hands, conjuring up a white glyph just in time. Cinder's beam crashed into it. Sound and fury filled the air as the beam drilled into the glyph. Weiss was visibly straining. Both her hands remained extended, and she leaned forward against an unseen force. Her glyph began to glow red as energy from Cinder's beam leaked into it. Cracks started forming in it.

Suddenly, Cinder's beam punched through the glyph and struck Weiss in the chest like a searing-hot lance. Weiss screamed as she was blown backward across the floor.

"Weiss!" Yang called out, extending her hand in a futile gesture.

The slow clicking of heels on the hard surface of the spire sent a chill down Yang's spine. She slowly turned back again and saw Cinder strolling toward her. Yang raised her fists, but she knew that she was in serious trouble.

"It seems my hostage got away," Cinder said. "I was looking forward to killing him in front of Ruby. It looks like I'll have to settle for you instead."

"Over my dead body!" Yang said.

"That's the idea," Cinder said. She came to a stop mere feet from Yang. Then she lifted her finger, the same finger that had just laid Weiss low. "I'm going to enjoy this. You've been quite the persistent thorn in my side for someone who isn't a Maiden. I could make your death quick and painless. But your constant meddling has earned you something a little bit more…excruciating."

Next to Yang, Blake shouted "No!" Despite her injuries, she went charging for Cinder and slammed bodily into her. Cinder's beam shot out of her finger and whizzed over Yang's shoulder, close enough that Yang could feel its heat graze her skin.

Cinder actually growled in anger. She seized Blake by the neck with one hand and lifted her off her feet. "If you're so eager to die then wait your turn!" she shouted.

Yang's eyes flicked to her left gauntlet where the special Dust rounds were loaded. She didn't want to risk hitting Blake with them, but it seemed the alternative was watching Blake die.

As Yang lined up a shot, Blake struggled in Cinder's grip. Her feet kicked helplessly in the air, but then her face squinched in concentration. She suddenly popped free of Cinder's hand and fell to the floor, leaving a clone behind in her place.

Blake's clone vanished just as quickly as it had appeared. "What?!" Cinder exclaimed.

Yang knew it was now or never. She fired off a round from Ember Celica. The shell glowed a purple color as it flew through the air. When it impacted on Cinder, there was no immediate effect, but then a purple shroud of energy began shimmering over Cinder's body as the gravity Dust asserted itself. Cinder's legs began to tremble. She struggled to stay upright for a moment, but then she collapsed onto her hands and knees as she was pulled downward by an unrelenting force.

Yang almost couldn't believe the gravity rounds had worked. Ironwood had mentioned something about "enriched Dust" being used to create them. Yang hadn't really followed the technical details, but the results were plain to see.

With great effort, Cinder raised her head. She fixed Yang with a murderous expression and said, "I. Am going. To kill you."

"Not today you're not," Yang said. "So much for you being an all-powerful Maiden."

"Don't…you…dare…mock me!" Cinder said through clenched teeth. She slowly began rising to her feet.

Yang's eyebrows shot up in alarm. She fired off another round. The gravity Dust pulled Cinder back down, but again she began to rise.

"Ruby! Weiss!" Yang shouted. She had no idea if they were okay, or even conscious, but she needed them right now.

Fortunately, Ruby and Weiss were okay. They both ran up to Yang's side.

Ruby said, "Keep her pinned, Yang!"

"You got it!" Yang said. She fired off another gravity round.

Ruby turned to Weiss. "Ready?" she asked.

"Ready," Weiss said with a nod.

A yellow glyph formed underneath Ruby's and Weiss's feet. The moment the time dilation effect took hold of them, Yang didn't even see them take off running. They were simply there one moment and gone the next.

Suddenly, a flash of yellow streaked past Cinder. Her body lurched to the side, at least as much as the gravity Dust would allow. Then another flash passed by her, and she lurched in the other direction. Then there was another and another and another.

Cinder roared in pain and frustration. She tried even harder to escape her invisible bonds, but Yang kept firing Dust rounds to keep her in place.

Blake pulled herself to her feet. She hobbled up to Yang's side. Yang had no doubt that Blake was still hurting from all the abuse that Cinder had heaped on her. It made Yang boil with anger, but she had to stay focused. They had to take Cinder down. Blake seemed to be thinking the same thing because she slowly lifted her pistol and began firing at Cinder.

Weiss and Ruby's attack on Cinder continued unabated. Yang could see something in Cinder's eyes. It was worry. For the first time ever, Cinder wasn't absolutely certain that she would win. But her spirit was far from broken, and Yang knew this wouldn't be over until Cinder was dead.

As Gambol Shroud's clip ran dry, Yang asked Blake, "Do you still have those bullets Ironwood gave you?"

"Yes," Blake said, patting the pouch on her belt.

"Get them ready," Yang said. "Just in case."

Blake nodded. She ejected the empty magazine from Gambol Shroud, pulled out her only clip of gravity ammunition, and slid it into place.

Cinder's eyes closed. She began to concentrate. Yang didn't like the look of that, so she cocked her fist back and fired off another blast. But before the shell could reach Cinder, a ring of jagged rocks erupted up out of the spire all around her. Yang's shot impacted the rocks. They creaked under the sudden stress, and a few of their tips broke off, but they otherwise stood unbowed.

Weiss and Ruby suddenly reappeared just outside the ring of rocks. The unexpected obstacle had forced both of them to stop. Ruby said, "Weiss, quick! Use your—!"

Ruby was interrupted by a second ring of rocks shooting up around the first. Unfortunately, the time dilation effect Weiss had given herself and Ruby had faded. They both scrambled backward to get clear as a third ring of rocks appeared, followed by a fourth and a fifth.

"Uh…guys?" Yang asked, worriedly. She could just barely see Cinder getting back to her feet through all the obsidian spikes sticking up out of the spire, and she no longer had a clear shot at her.

The jagged rocks continued to multiply in ever expanding circles, rising up faster and faster. Ruby shouted, "Run! Run!"

Yang threw her arm around Blake in an effort to help her escape the rocks, but she needn't have bothered. Blake didn't seem to have any trouble as they both sprinted away. Like Yang she'd had a moment to recover, and imminent death by impalement was an excellent motivator.

All of Team RWBY came to a stop at the very edge of the spire. Yang let go of Blake and looked down. They were dizzyingly high up. Yang wasn't sure that all of them could survive the fall anymore, and who knew how many grimm might be down there waiting for them.

Blake said, "It's not stopping."

Yang turned around. The rocky protrusions were rushing to meet them now.

Weiss asked, "Do we jump?"

"No," Ruby said. "We wait right here."

The rocks didn't show any signs of slowing, but Ruby sounded sure of herself. Yang trusted her sister, so she stood her ground.

The rocks came right up to where Team RWBY was standing, perched precariously on the edge of the spire, but then the rocks abruptly stopped.

"Cinder's not going to kill us that way," Ruby said. "She needs to make sure she gets mine and Weiss's power."

Somehow Yang didn't find Ruby's statement very reassuring.

The rocks suddenly started shifting. They liquefied and melted back into the spire's floor, again revealing Cinder, who was standing at the exact center of the spire. She was breathing heavily, and there was a haggard expression on her face, but any hope that might have given Yang was undone by the unbridled look of rage in Cinder's eyes. Cinder's fists clenched tightly together. But then she let them loosely open. Ash began falling out of them, like a gentle snow.

The ash gathered together in an ever growing cloud, and then it billowed upward. Cinder was quickly enveloped by the cloud of ash, and it started creeping toward Team RWBY.

Weiss's face drained of color as she witnessed the same swarm that had defeated her sister coming for her. "Oh no. No, no, no," she whispered.

"Weiss!" Ruby said. She zipped up in front of Weiss. "Listen to me! We can beat this! But you've got to keep it together!"

"I'm-I'm fine," Weiss said. She put her hand on Ruby's shoulder. "I'm fine," she repeated.

"So, uh…" Yang said, nervously watching the ash cloud close in on them. "How are we going to beat this?"

Ruby looked at the ash. "Winter almost did all by herself when she used those shooty-glyphs," she said. "We'll just have to do that except better."

"Yang," Weiss said. "Can you gather all that ash up into one big clump?"

Yang saw what Weiss was getting at. She lifted her left gauntlet. "I sure can," she said.

Weiss conjured up a gigantic, spinning glyph in the air beside her. "Ruby?" she asked.

"Right!" Ruby said. She pointed her open palm at the ash cloud, and her eyes began to glow silver.

Yang stepped up. "Blake, help me out," she said.

Blake nodded and took aim with her pistol.

Yang fired off three shells into the center of the ash cloud. Blake chased them with three bullets. Blake's faster, lighter shots caught up to Yang's, and when they did, all six of the special gravity rounds exploded simultaneously, forming a massive, purple sphere of energy.

The ash cloud suddenly halted in midair. Then it began to retreat as all the ash particles "fell" into the gravity effect that Yang and Blake had created. They all compacted together until the ash cloud was nothing more than a harmless ball hovering in the air.

"Now!" Weiss called out. Beams of pure energy blasted out from her glyph and Ruby's hand. They headed straight for the sphere of ash and utterly obliterated it.

A dumbfounded look actually found its way onto Cinder's face, but not for long. Her hands curled into fists. Fire seeped out of them, quickly covering her upper arms. She started marching toward Team RWBY. She didn't conjure any ashen weapons. She didn't try any fancy tricks. She was simply walking toward her enemies, ready to beat them to death the old-fashioned way.

"We got her now!" Ruby said, hefting Crescent Rose. "I'll distract her! You guys come up with a plan!"

"Wait, Ruby!" Weiss said. "What do you mean we've got her?"

"There's no way she's thinking clearly right now," Ruby said. "If I just fight her defensively to buy you guys some time, it'll probably be forever before she notices."

"Probably?" Weiss asked.

"Don't worry about it!" Ruby said. "You'll come up with something in time!"

"If you're sure," Weiss said.

"Of course I'm sure!" Ruby said with a smile. Then she took off running toward Cinder, but not with her semblance, just normally. Cinder began running as well. The two of them met halfway, and Crescent Rose, bathed in the Summer Maiden's power, met Cinder's fists.

Yang said, "A plan. Right. Anyone got any ideas?"

"A few," Weiss said. "But whenever we've gotten the upper hand, Cinder has used this spire against us."

An idea suddenly came to Yang. She slid open her left gauntlet's chamber. There were three gravity rounds left in it, more than enough. She said, "Then how about we use the spire against her instead."

"How would we do that?" Weiss asked.

"Blake, you've still got most of your Dust rounds," Yang said. "Let's bring this whole thing crashing to the ground, and Cinder with it!"

"What?!" Weiss said. "That's crazy!"

"You don't think it'll work?" Yang asked.

"I never said that," Weiss admitted.

Blake said, "Then let's do it. Before Cinder realizes that Ruby's distracting her."

Yang grinned. "Weiss? Can you take Blake around the edge of the spire? I've got to make sure Cinder stays put."

"Very well," Weiss said. A white glyph formed under her feet, and she held her arm out for Blake.

Blake stepped onto Weiss's glyph and grabbed onto her arm. The glyph carried them both off zooming around the perimeter of the spire. Every few feet, Blake fired off a shot and used her semblance to create a ghostly, purple clone powered by the gravity Dust.

Yang ran toward where Ruby and Cinder were fighting. She carefully lined up a shot and then shouted, "Behind you, Rubes!"

Just as Yang fired, Ruby jumped up out of the way without even looking. Yang's shot passed underneath her and struck Cinder dead on.

"No!" Cinder shouted. She resisted with all her might, but she was once again pulled down to the floor.

Weiss and Blake glided back up to Yang's side. Translucent Blakes lined the entire edge of the spire now.

Yang looked at Blake. "Do it," she said.

All of Blake's gravity clones began running straight for Cinder. Yang cocked her fist back. "Hey, Cinder!" she shouted. "You're going _down_!"

Yang fired. The shell whizzed through the air. It and all of the Blake clones converged on Cinder simultaneously. There was a horrific implosion, so loud that it seemed to absorb all the sound around it. All of the energy crashed into a single point, and then it blasted outward with such force that it knocked Yang, Blake, and Weiss clean off their feet.

The whole spire started to shake violently. Large cracks formed on its surface, and the floor began to break apart.

Ruby zipped up as everyone else was scrambling to their feet. "Come on! Let's get out of here!" she shouted.

No one needed to be told twice. They all sprinted for the edge. Plumes of smoke and ash began spewing out from the cracks in the spire. Yang lost sight of everyone else, but she continued to dash forward until the floor simply fell away from her feet.

Yang plunged in a free fall with no idea where anyone else was or how close she was to the ground. "Blake?! Ruby?! Weiss?!" she called out, but no one answered.

Suddenly, a hand thrust forward out of the haze. Yang reached for it. She grasped it tightly and pulled whoever it was to her.

"Yang!" Blake shouted as she emerged from the blinding smoke. "Yang, we've got to—"

"I know!" Yang said. "How many Dust rounds do you have left?!"

"Just one!" Blake said.

"Me too!" Yang said. "Help me out!"

Blake nodded. Yang pulled Blake in even closer and let Blake cling to her side. They both took aim above themselves with their weapons and fired simultaneously.

The gravity rounds collided with each other right in front of Yang and Blake as they continued to plummet. The two of them were caught by the very lip of the gravity effect. They slowed down, almost to a complete stop, before the Dust lost its grip on them and they began falling again.

However, before they could pick up too much speed, they finally hit bottom. Yang collided with the ground flat on her back, and Blake crashed into her front. Yang let out a grunt as the impact rattled her bones. The hit had been hard enough to trigger her semblance, but amazingly, her aura was still holding, if only by the slimmest of margins. An earsplitting crash sounded moments later as huge chunks of debris from the spire smashed into the ground not all that far away from Yang and Blake.

Yang wasn't sure what she'd been expecting to come next. It certainly wasn't nothing, but that was exactly what happened. No grimm attacked, no fireballs were lobbed, and no madwomen hell-bent on destruction appeared.

Blake pushed herself up. She extended a hand to Yang, and Yang let Blake pull her to her feet. The smoke that had been billowing out of the spire was starting to clear, and Yang found herself standing next to a massive mountain of rubble. It was creaking and groaning as bits of it settled into place, but otherwise there was no sign of activity.

Yang and Blake just stood there, staring in openmouthed wonder at the destruction they'd wrought. "Wow," Yang said. "Ironwood's guys sure know how to make a good Dust round."

"They certainly do," Blake agreed. After a moment's hesitation, she said, "Yang…?"

"What is it?" Yang asked.

"Did I hear you right?" Blake asked. "Did you really tell Cinder that she was, 'going down'?"

A grin spread itself across Yang's face. "You bet I did!" she said.

"Yang, that's…that's terrible," Blake said.

Yang laughed. "You're just mad you didn't think of it first!"

Blake rolled her eyes, but a smirk crossed her lips.

"Yang! Blake!" Ruby's voice called out.

Yang and Blake turned from the spire. They saw Ruby and Weiss walking up off in the distance.

"Ruby!" Yang called out.

Ruby started jogging toward Yang with her arms extended. Yang met Ruby halfway, and the two sisters came together in a big hug.

When Weiss and Blake caught up to Yang and Ruby, Yang pulled out of the hug. "So, Weiss," she said, putting her hands proudly on her hips. "Still think that idea was crazy?"

"Absolutely," Weiss said. "But I'm pleased to see it was effective."

"Effective?" Ruby asked. "It was awesome! I told you guys you'd think of something!"

Blake said, "It's hard to believe it's really over."

Ruby asked, "It is over, isn't it?"

Yang said, "I really think it—"

Suddenly, the side of the pile of rubble exploded outward, sending huge obsidian boulders scattering about every which way. Everyone's heads snapped in the direction of the commotion, just in time to see a bruised and bloodied Cinder screaming like a banshee with unadulterated rage. Hellfire was burning intensely in her eyes, and she had an ashen bow in her hands with an arrow nocked and drawn.

Before even Ruby could react, Cinder's fingers released the bowstring. The arrow surged forward. As it left its rest, the ash of the bow fed into it until the bow was no more and the arrow had tripled in size.

Team RWBY scattered, and the arrow flew past them, right down the center of where they'd been standing. It looked for a moment like they'd avoided Cinder's attack, but then the arrow abruptly changed course. It arced around in midair and came rushing directly for Yang.

Ruby was the first to act. She ran forward and smashed the arrow to bits with the blunt end of Crescent Rose. Particles of ash sprayed out, but rather than fall to the ground, they all curved around Ruby and continued flying toward Yang en masse.

"No!" Ruby shouted. She took off running again, so fast that Yang lost sight of her. The tiny bits of ash began winking out of existence one by one as Ruby intercepted them. But there were so many that not even she was fast enough to get them all.

Weiss swept her arm upward and a half-dozen glyphs appeared in the air around her. They all began rapidly shooting out beams of light, destroying even more bits of the ash. Blake lunged forward. She created clone after clone, hurling them into the cloud of death. Yang, not to be left out, fired Ember Celica wildly. There were so many targets that she didn't even need to aim. It was just unfortunate that her left gauntlet was out of ammo.

Despite Team RWBY's monumental effort, Yang could see that it wasn't going to be enough. On a hunch, she stopped firing and cocked her fist back. Just as she'd suspected, all the ash reformed into an arrow mere inches from her. It was half the size that it had been, but it was no less deadly. Yang had only a split second to react, but she was ready. All of her years of training, all of her instincts, and all of her skill came into play. In defiance of the odds, Yang threw a punch that hit the shaft of the arrow dead on.

Yang might as well have missed. The arrow broke itself back into tiny pieces that flowed around Yang's hand like water. Then they formed back into an arrow and flew on unimpeded.

Yang felt just the tiniest prick of pain as the arrow lodged itself in her chest.

At first, Yang wondered if she'd even been hit. She didn't feel like anything was wrong. But when she tried to take a step forward, she found that her legs refused to move. Then her hands fell to her sides like lead weights, and she collapsed onto her knees.

Yang stared in disbelief at the shaft of the arrow sticking out of her. She felt a heat building up in her chest. Then her arrow wound began to glow. Pain suddenly seized her body, pain worse than she'd ever experienced. A pathetic whimper escaped her lips as she found herself unable to even scream.

"Yang! Yang!" Blake shouted in a panic.

Yang's eyes desperately searched for Blake, but what they found was Cinder. Behind Team RWBY Cinder had not been idle. She'd taken full advantaged of the diversion her arrow had created and had gathered huge masses of energy in both of her hands. One was a vibrant green in color, and the other was a vivid auburn.

Yang tried to warn her teammates, but it was impossible for her to say anything coherent through the pain. More to the point, it was too late.

Cinder smashed her hands together. The raw powers of the Fall and Spring Maidens collided. The clashing energies annihilated one another, sending a huge shock wave rushing out toward Team RWBY. In the midst of the unbelievably bright flash of light that followed, Yang caught a glimpse of Blake throwing herself in between her and the wave of energy.

Yang wasn't sure what happened next. The wave had passed by without hitting her. She was still alive, but at that point death would have been a mercy. A glow was coming from underneath her skin now, and every moment was a literal burning agony as a fiery heat incinerated her from the inside out.

Yang's body tipped forward, but a firm hand caught her and pushed her back. Then the hand seized her chin and tilted her head up. Her vision was blurry, but she could just barely make out Cinder's face hover inches away from hers.

"You make for an excellent distraction," Cinder's mocking voice said. "Did you see how hard they tried to save you?"

Yang's only response was a gurgling sound.

"What's the matter? Nothing witty to say this time?" Cinder asked. "Don't feel bad. You're only going to be the first to die. But the rest of your friends won't go as easily as you. I'll be sure to take my time with them."

Yang took Cinder's words to mean that Blake, Ruby, and Weiss were still alive. But then she imagined them experiencing the same pain that she was now. It was a harrowing thought. She wouldn't have believed it was possible, but through the haze of torment, she felt herself getting angry.

"Who do you think I should kill next?" Cinder asked. "Maybe your friend with the bow?"

Yang squeezed her eyes shut. Cinder's threat against Blake made her semblance flare up, and then a very strange thing happened. The pain began to diminish. It wasn't going away, but it was becoming easier and easier to ignore. Yang's semblance lit a fire inside of her, a fire very distinct from the one consuming her. And the two seemed to merge into one.

A laugh rose up from the back of Yang's throat.

Cinder let go of Yang, taken aback by her unexpected reaction. Her eyes narrowed. "What's so funny?" she asked.

"You ever hear that old saying, that you shouldn't fight fire with fire?" Yang asked. She slowly rose to her feet. "You should have listened to it. Because, bitch. I BURN!"

Yang slammed her fists together. Flames ignited over her entire body, and supreme strength filled her. She rushed forward and punched the flabbergasted Cinder so hard that she went hurtling back through the air and slammed into the pile of rubble behind her.

Cinder came charging back at Yang, but Yang met her head on. The two of them traded blows that made the ground shake as overwhelming power was thwarted by overwhelming power.

"I don't understand!" Cinder screamed as she found herself deadlocked by a single opponent. "What's happening!?"

"It's simple! You're losing!" Yang shouted. She found an opening and socked Cinder across the jaw. Cinder went careening into the ground.

Cinder came rising back up to her feet a second later. Her fist was glowing with energy. She lashed out at Yang with a vicious uppercut, but all the blow did was feed more power into Yang's supercharged semblance.

Yang hit Cinder with another massive punch. Truth be told, she didn't really understand what was happening either, but she wasn't going to question it. All she knew was that a little piece of the Spring and Fall Maidens' powers had found their way inside of her, delivered on the tip of Cinder's arrow. Her semblance was feeding off of them, giving her strength like she'd never known.

Cinder and Yang came at each other again and again. Eventually, Yang caught one of Cinder's punches in her open palm and held on tight. She tried to punch Cinder back, but Cinder did the same to her. Their fingers locked together, and they both pushed against each other, straining with all their might.

"You can't stop me!" Cinder shouted as they struggled. "This is my destiny! I am the True Maiden, not some pretender like all the rest! And you're just a dying flame that's about to burn out!"

Yang knew Cinder wasn't necessarily wrong. Even now she could feel whatever it was that was happening to her begin to wane. But then she saw something that made her grin.

"Maybe you're right," Yang said to Cinder. "But I've got something you'll never have. Friends!"

Compared to the colossal blows that Cinder and Yang had been trading, a single pistol shot seemed like nothing, but nevertheless, one sounded from nearby. Gambol Shroud came flying in. Its ribbon caught on Cinder's neck, pulling the weapon into a turn that sent it circling around Cinder's throat.

Cinder let go of Yang and grabbed the ribbon that was tightening around her neck. Her hands began to glow as she tried to melt it away. But then Weiss caught Gamble Shroud. A white energy flowed out of her and encased the ribbon in a frigid aura, keeping it safe from Cinder.

Blake still had a hold of the end of Gambol Shroud's ribbon. She and Weiss both pulled it tight. Cinder's eyes bulged out as she gasped for air. She clawed desperately at her neck and dropped to her knees.

Ruby zipped up to Yang's side. She pointed her palm toward Yang and began to glow silver. Her essence as a Maiden filtered into Yang, stoking the fire fueling her even higher.

"Finish this," Ruby said to Yang.

Yang nodded solemnly. She walked up to the struggling Cinder. "Do you still believe in destiny?" she asked.

Cinder looked terrified, but she choked out a horse, "Yes."

"I don't," Yang said. She pulled her fist back, and she let herself feel everything, all the way back to when this had first begun. She envisioned Penny's broken body. She saw again her dad strung up helplessly on that pillar. She remembered the news of Pyrrha's death. She tasted every last bit of pain, fear, and misery that Cinder had inflicted on her and Blake and Ruby and Weiss. She let her semblance drink up every last drop of it, and then she threw a punch more powerful than even she believed she was capable of.

Ruby tried to watch, but the sight was too gruesome for her. She turned away, and when she looked back again. Cinder was slumped over dead.

Yang took a step back. It was over. It was really over. The emotions that had been holding her semblance inside of her faded. The strength they had given her fled.

But she was still burning.

For an instant, Yang didn't feel any pain or anger; she just felt tired. But then her arms began to tremble, and she collapsed onto her knees, screaming in excruciating, unworldly pain. Molten tears leaked from her eyes, burning breath scorched her tongue, and fire itself erupted from her very pores.

Blake dropped Gambol Shroud's ribbon. She ran for Yang as Ruby and Weiss watched in abject horror. Yang threw her hand forward. "S-stay back!" she sputtered as she struggled to speak.

Yang knew she was living her final moments. "Weiss! Take care of my sister! Ruby, help Dad get through this! And Blake! B-Blake, I—!" Yang tried her very best to tell Blake that she loved her, but she couldn't get the words out.

Suddenly, two sparks of light shot up from Cinder's body. They swirled around each other and then flew back down, heading straight for Yang. The sparks vanished into Yang, and she felt a wave pass through her like a cool autumn's breeze. An invisible force pulled her off her knees and up into the air.

"Yang!" Blake shouted in alarm as a glow, brighter than the fire, enveloped Yang. Blake ran straight for her. Then she jumped up and threw her arms around Yang, heedless of the flames.

"Blake!" Weiss called out, but it was too late for her to do anything.

The glow became blinding, and Weiss and Ruby were forced to look away. Light flooded outward, illuminating the entire area. And then, nothing.

The darkness clouding the skies up above dissipated now that Cinder's power was no longer sustaining it. The midday sun finally broke through, shining down on what was left of Kuroyuri. Weiss and Ruby turn back toward where Yang and Blake had been.

Yang and Blake were hovering a foot off the ground, still embracing one another. The flames that had been consuming Yang were gone. In their place, Yang and Blake were both glowing with the power of a Maiden, each a slightly different color.

The sensations bombarding Yang were indescribable. To go from the horrendous pain to such a feeling of ease and comfort was beyond unreal. She was half convinced that she was dead, but she felt more alive now than ever before.

Yang and Blake sunk back down. Their feet softly touched the ground, but they didn't let go of each other. They just stared into each other's eyes with overjoyed smiles.

"Yang…" Blake whispered. She laid her head on Yang's shoulder and hugged her tightly. "You're alright."

"Yeah," Yang said, desperately clinging to Blake, trying to convince herself that this was real. "I'm alright."

"Uh…" Ruby said in a small voice. "What just happened? Is…is it really over this time?"

"Yeah," Yang said. "It is."

Weiss, in defiance of her deeply ingrained sense of decorum, sat down on the ground where she was. She clutched her head in her hands.

"Weiss!" Ruby called out. She was at Weiss's side in a heartbeat. "Weiss! Are you alright?"

"I'm fine," Weiss said. She lifted her head. There were tears running down her cheeks, but there was a smile on her face. She looked at Ruby and said, "Go Team Justice."

* * *

 _Author's Note:_ _As I said on tumblr, I was really hoping to get this chapter posted before Volume 5 ended, but that obviously didn't happen. There's only so many words I can churn out per week, and wow, this chapter had a lot of words! Oh well. Now you all have two climatic final battles against Cinder to enjoy right?_

 _I swear that searing ray to Weiss's chest wasn't an intentional homage to what happened toward the end of Volume 5. I had already written that part by the time the episode came out. It's just a happy (?) coincidence I guess._

 _I wasn't expecting to use Sienna in this story (since she didn't exist when I started writing it) but if Rooster Teeth isn't going to utilize her, then I will. You don't make a character that awesome and then just toss her aside. I wonder what this Sienna would think of Adam if she knew what happened to her canon counterpart. Someone should probably tell her that Blake and the rest of Team RWBY did her a real favor by getting rid of him. She probably wouldn't believe them though._

 _Oh yes, and gravity Dust. This is a thing that needs to be used in actual RWBY._

 _I'm not going to lie. Part two of this chapter was one of the hardest things I've ever attempted to write. I wanted to show some real intimacy between Ruby and Weiss, but I also needed it to stay consistent with the characters, both as they're officially presented and as how I've written them. Hopefully things didn't get too metaphysical. You'll have to let me know what you think._

 _So yeah. All four members of Team RWBY are Maidens now. That's always been my plan since before I even finished the previous story in this series. It was one of my first thoughts way back in Volume 3 when we learned about the Maidens. Four young women with extraordinary power? It made sense to me that that's what Team RWBY would become. Rooster Teeth has, so far, not opted to go that route, but that's okay. That's what fan fiction is for._

 _There's still one more chapter left to this story, and like the first one, it's a normal length chapter. So I should have it finished and posted in a few days. I'll have more to say in my author's note then about my reasoning for who became what Maiden._

 _As always, I welcome constructive criticism. Please feel free to leave a review. And if you like what you've read, taking the time to favorite and/or follow really helps me out. You can also find me on tumblr (electronicyarn) if you want to send me a message or be notified of updates._


	6. Epilogue

**Chapter 6: Epilogue**

Sunlight glinted off the obsidian protrusions that were still jutting up from the streets of Kuroyuri. The battle there was finally over. No more grimm plagued the town. No more sounds of gunfire or cannons filled the air. And no more unnatural darkness blackened the sky.

Weiss was standing idly by, listening to the silence. The past few weeks had undoubtedly been the most grueling of her entire life, but strangely, she didn't feel tired or worn-out. She felt free. For the first time in a very long time, she was at peace with herself. Maybe it was because, in the end, she'd followed Ruby's example. She hadn't sought vengeance for Winter's death; she'd simply protected those she cared about.

Ruby strolled up to Weiss with a big smile on her face. She stopped by Weiss's side, and without a word, took Weiss's hand into her own. Weiss felt Ruby's aura tingle against her skin. Ruby was radiating pure joy, and that joy seeped into Weiss, warming her.

Weiss said, "We did it." She didn't sound surprised or boastful. She was merely stating a fact.

"You bet we did," Ruby said. "I'm just…."

"You're just what?" Weiss asked, turning to face Ruby.

"I'm just wondering what comes next," Ruby said. "I mean, Cinder's gone. And I don't think we're going to go back to school. It's not like we haven't proven that we're ready to be huntresses. But what do we do now?"

"We do whatever we want to," Weiss said. "The important thing is that we do it together. If…if that's what you want."

"Of course it's what I want!" Ruby said. She took a hold of Weiss's other hand. "I love you, Weiss!"

Weiss smiled. She leaned forward and planted a small kiss on Ruby's lips. She wasn't afraid of such a tiny gesture anymore. "I love you too, Ruby," she said.

Suddenly, the hairs on the back of Weiss's neck stood on end. She let go of Ruby and spun around, drawing Myrtenaster in the process. A powerful aura was approaching them, and it didn't feel friendly.

"What is it?" Ruby asked.

In answer to Ruby's question, Sienna Khan stepped out from around one of the obsidian protrusions. She was covered in dirt and blood, her clothing was torn, and there was a weariness in her step; but she still had her spear in her hand, and the look in her eyes was just as ferocious as ever.

Weiss returned Myrtenaster to her hip. "I see you survived," she said to Sienna.

"So did you," Sienna said. "Pity."

Weiss chose to ignore Sienna's snide remark. She asked, "What happened to the dragon?"

"It's dead," Sienna said.

"That's…impressive," Weiss said. She wasn't convinced that Sienna was telling the truth, but if she was, calling the feat impressive was a grave understatement.

"I'm here to see about our bargain, Schnee," Sienna said. "A lot of White Fang died today."

Weiss crossed her arms. "I gave you my word. And I intend to keep it."

"See that you do," Sienna said. She turned to leave.

A thought occurred to Weiss. Sienna was alone. As powerful as she was, there was no way she could stand up to a Maiden, much less two, in a straight-up fight. Weiss realized that this was her chance. She had an opportunity to strike a blow against the White Fang that they might never recover from.

Weiss's eyes fell on Myrtenaster. It would be so easy. Sienna's back was even to her.

Weiss didn't draw her sword. Instead, she called out, "Wait a moment."

Sienna stopped and glanced over her shoulder.

"If you're truly different from Adam," Weiss said. "If you truly want things to be better for the faunus. There's a way."

"What do you mean?" Sienna asked, turning back around to face Weiss.

"My father won't be in charge of the Schnee Dust Company forever. Someday, I will be. And I promise you this. I will do everything in my power to end the abuse of the faunus at the Company's hands."

Sienna crossed her arms. "So you say."

"I mean it," Weiss said.

"Perhaps for now," Sienna said. "But the Schnee Dust Company can't exist without faunus labor to exploit. It's the foundation the Company was built on. You'll never be able to bear seeing your family's legacy wither and die. And once you've tasted the power it gives you, you'll do anything to keep it."

"I have tasted power," Weiss said. "More than you realize. So listen to me very carefully. If you _ever_ come after me, my friends, my family, or my company ever again, there's no place on Remnant you could hide that would keep you safe from me."

Sienna's eyes narrowed. She stared Weiss down, but Weiss held her gaze. A minute passed. Then Sienna smiled coyly. "Goodbye, Schnee. I think interesting times lay ahead of us."

With that, Sienna turned and walked away.

Weiss muttered, "For your sake, I hope not."

Ruby stepped forward and put her hand on Weiss's shoulder. "I'm proud of you," she said.

"For what?" Weiss asked.

"You're not the only one who can see auras. Remember?" Ruby said. "And yours is pretty easy to read now that I've figured out how. I know how hard that was for you."

"I doubt anything positive will come from it," Weiss said.

"Yeah. You're probably going to have to fight Sienna someday," Ruby admitted. "But when you do, it won't be because she's a faunus or even a White Fang. It'll be because it's the right thing to do."

"I suppose that's an important distinction," Weiss said. She sighed. "Let's not waste time worrying about Sienna. Shall we go find Blake and Yang?"

"Well, Blake's still over there," Ruby said, pointing. Off in the distance, Blake was standing all by herself, looking upward.

Ruby said, "And Yang is…."

A boom suddenly echoed from above, chased by an exhilarated cheer. Yang literally flew by high above Weiss's and Ruby's heads, leaving a trail of fire in the sky behind her.

"Yang is being Yang," Ruby finished.

In the skies above Kuroyuri, Yang was having the time of her life. Her new power as a freshly minted Maiden was manifesting itself as flames rolling off her body, and the flames were somehow keeping her airborne. Yang would have compared the experience to riding her motorcycle at patently dangerous speeds, but not even that rush came close to the undiluted thrill of flying.

In actuality, what Yang was doing wasn't so much flying as it was hurling herself through the air. She had little in the way of directional control, but every so often she would fire Ember Celica and send herself careening off on a new course.

As much fun as Yang was having, she wanted to get back and check on Blake. She turned herself around in the air with her gauntlets until she was heading in Blake's general direction. She let her power slowly subside, and she started sinking back down toward the ground.

Yang saw Blake up ahead, exactly where she'd left her. For a moment, it looked like Yang was going to make a perfect landing right next to her partner, but at the last second, she realized that she had absolutely no idea how to actually land.

Yang crashed into the ground a few feet short of Blake, sending up a spray of dirt.

"Yang!" Blake called out in alarm.

Before the dirt had even finished settling, Yang jumped back up. She grabbed Blake with both of her hands and lifted her up off her feet. "That was AWESOME!" she shouted.

Blake laughed as Yang spun her around and set her back down.

"You have got to try flying, Blake!" Yang said. "You won't regret it."

"I'm not sure that's something that I can do," Blake said. "We may all be Maidens now, but I don't think our powers are exactly identical."

"Well then I'll take you flying sometime," Yang said.

"That's…that's okay," Blake said.

"Aw come on, Blake. Think of the…possibilities," Yang said with a suggestive wink.

A blush colored Blake's cheeks. "What kind of possibilities?" she asked.

"Well for starters, we could go just about anywhere to make out!" Yang said.

"Yang!" Blake scolded with a laugh.

"Oh come on, Blakey," Yang said. "You know you want to try it."

Whatever Blake's response might have been, it was interrupted by a buzzing sound that suddenly came from Yang's pocket. Yang reached in and fished out her scroll. There was a message waiting for her on it, a message from Neo.

Yang stood there for a moment. She was a Maiden now. She was almost certain that she could finally beat Neo one-on-one. It probably wouldn't be the most responsible use of her new power to go picking fights with it, but it would undoubtedly be supremely satisfying to see that smug grin get wiped off Neo's face once and for all.

Blake asked, "Who is it?"

Yang looked up from her scroll. Seeing Blake made her realize how foolish she was being. If there was one thing these past few weeks had taught her, it was just how precious her time with Blake truly was. She had much better things to do today besides settling old grudges.

"It's no one important," Yang said. She deleted Neo's message without even reading it and stuck her scroll back in her pocket.

Blake said, "Well if you're done flying for now, I think we should figure out which one of us is which Maiden."

"Oh yeah," Yang said. "Cinder was two of them. I guess I made an impression if I was her last thought. I'm not sure how you ended up as a Maiden though. Not that I'm complaining."

"Maybe…" Blake said. "Maybe you ordinarily can't be two Maidens at once."

"I guess that would make sense. And I was thinking of you when…well," Yang said. "Whatever the case is, I'm pretty sure you're the Spring Maiden."

"That's what I was thinking too," Blake said. "It's just kind of a…"

"…a feeling," Yang finished for Blake.

"Yes, exactly," Blake said. "And if I'm the Spring Maiden that would make you the Fall Maiden."

"Too bad," Yang said. "Cinder kind of ruined that title."

"Then how about we call you the Autumn Maiden?" Blake asked.

Yang thought about it for a moment. "Yeah," she said, smiling. "I like the sound of that."

"Guys! Guys!" Ruby's voice called out.

Yang and Blake turned to see Ruby running up, dragging poor Weiss along behind her by the hand.

"Rubes!" Yang cheered. "Did you see me flying?"

"Yeah!" Ruby said, stopping in front of Yang. "That was so cool!"

Weiss said, "Please don't encourage her behavior. I'm sure Ironwood will expect us to exercise a certain discretion with our powers. The existence of the Maidens has been kept secret for centuries."

"I'm not sure how much of a secret it is anymore," Blake said. "Cinder didn't exactly keep her status as a Maiden hidden."

Yang smirked. "Yeah, Blakey. _You_ might say—"

Weiss shook her head. "Please don't."

"—the _cat_ is out of the bag!" Yang continued.

A chorus of groans went up.

"Oh come on," Yang said. "That one was funny."

"Sorry, Sis," Ruby said. "It really wasn't."

The roar of engines overhead drew everyone's attention. They all looked up and saw Ironwood's ship fly into view. It came to a stop directly above where everyone was standing and hovered in the air.

Yang said, "Speaking of Ironwood."

A small auxiliary craft flew out of the warship's launch bay. It rapidly descended and landed on the ground a few feet away from Team RWBY. A door on it opened, and Team JNPR walked out.

Jaune was looking at Nora. He said, "Maybe just give me some warning next time."

"It worked didn't it?" Nora asked. "Poof! No more goliath!"

Ren said, "I don't think the effectiveness of your tactic was in question."

"Well then what's the problem?" Nora asked.

"Jaune! Ren!" Ruby cheered.

"Ruby!" Jaune said.

"And Nora!" Nora added.

Jaune looked Team RWBY over. "You're all…alive!" he said, sounding surprised.

Ruby scratched the back of her head. "Were you not expecting us to be?" she asked.

"Uh…" Jaune said.

Ren said, "I believe Jaune has been preparing himself for the worst, just in case. I'm sure he never doubted your ability to defeat Cinder."

"Yeah," Jaune agreed. "What Ren said."

Ironwood emerged from the ship just behind Team JNPR. He said, "I don't think even the most optimistic of us expected today to turn out so well."

Ruby muttered, "I did…."

"Er, yes," Ironwood said. "Regardless, I'm very impressed. With everyone."

"Thanks!" Ruby said.

"With Cinder Fall defeated, the Mistralian military should once again be able to contain the grimm threat," Ironwood said. "The only loose end is to discover who the new Spring and Fall Maidens are."

Yang spoke up. "Autumn Maiden."

"Pardon me?" Ironwood asked.

"I'd rather be called the Autumn Maiden," Yang said. She lifted her hand and clenched her fist. A small but intense flame sprung to life over her upper arm and was just as quickly extinguished.

"Whoa!" Jaune said.

Yang grinned. "We'll even save you the trouble of finding the other Maiden. Right, Blakey?"

Blake looked at Yang. Then she nodded and closed her eyes. A faint, green energy began to shimmer over her. She cupped her hands together, and an ethereal butterfly appeared in them. Its wings quivered. Then it took off into the air and vanished.

Nora said, "You mean all of you are Maidens now?! That's so unfair!"

"Well," Ironwood said. "That is certainly convenient. And…hmm."

Weiss asked, "What is it, General?"

"All four Maidens already on a team together," Ironwood mused. "There may be need of you in the future. But don't concern yourself with that just yet. You've all earned a rest."

Yang asked, "So does this make us Team Maiden now?"

Ruby said, "Maybe it's silly, but I still like Team RWBY!"

"Aww," Nora said. "What about Team Justice?"

Weiss said, "We can be Teams RWBY and JNPR, and Team Justice at the same time."

"And Team JNRR!" Nora added.

Ren said, "Or Team RNJR."

Weiss looked confused. "Junior? Ranger?"

Ruby waved her hand dismissively. "Don't worry about it. If you get them arguing we'll never hear the end of it."

Weiss still looked confused. She glanced at Yang and Blake, but Yang just shrugged.

Ruby looked around. "So does anyone know where Uncle Qrow went?"

Ironwood said, "I haven't seen him since he left my ship. But he's always been difficult to—"

"I'm right here," Qrow's voice called out.

Everyone turned and looked. Qrow was walking up, and he wasn't alone. He was propping Taiyang up with his arm, helping him along.

Yang felt her heart soar when she saw Taiyang's smiling face. "Dad!" she shouted, overjoyed.

Taiyang pulled out of Qrow's arm. He half-limped, half-jogged toward Team RWBY. Yang and Ruby ran to meet him, and they all embraced one another in a group hug.

"Girls…" Taiyang said. "I'm so happy to see you."

Yang exclaimed, "You're happy?!"

Ruby started sniffling. "We…we thought…you…."

"Shh-shh-shh," Taiyang said soothingly. "Everything's alright now. I'm so proud of you two. You really did save the world."

Ruby said, "Weiss! Blake! Get over here!"

Yang said, "You too, Uncle Qrow!"

Qrow grumbled stubbornly, but Weiss and Blake didn't hesitate. They both joined Yang, Ruby, and Taiyang. Even Team JNPR followed behind them, and eventually, Qrow capitulated. Everyone came together in one big hug.

Yang couldn't even begin to describe the joy and relief she felt. Her dad and uncle were alive and safe. She was surrounded by her friends and family. And Blake was there by her side.

Yang reached out with her hand through the tangle of limbs and found Blake's shoulder. Blake turned to Yang, and their eyes met. Then Yang felt something, a small spark on her hand. She could suddenly sense the faint but clear impression of emotions that weren't hers, and somehow, she knew they were Blake's. The same thing must have been happening to Blake as well because an amazed look crossed her face.

A big smile spread across Yang's lips as she felt the connection that she and Blake shared, the emotional one that had been present since long before now. At long last, there was no more doubt, no more fear, and no more guilt to get in its way. There was only love. It was Yang's greatest dream come true. Whatever the future might hold, whatever secrets the past might hide, Yang knew that her and Blake's love would endure.

Rays of golden sunlight kissed the world of Remnant below. Like the town around her, Yang had been forever changed by the chain of events set into motion by Beacon's fall. But ultimately, she was better for it. She'd learned. She'd grown. And thanks to Blake, she'd put herself back together piece by piece until she was whole again. The world lay before her and Blake, and nothing would ever be the same.

Yang couldn't wait to see what tomorrow would bring.

* * *

 _Author's Note: If I were writing this story in a vacuum, different members of Team RWBY would be different Maidens. Weiss would still be the Winter Maiden. But Ruby would be the Spring Maiden, Blake would be the Fall Maiden, and Yang would be the Summer Maiden. As it was, I'd already written in the previous story that Summer Rose was the Summer Maiden and had passed on her power to Ruby. Therefor I opted for Blake to be the Spring Maiden because she left her old life behind and started a new one, and for Yang to be the Fall, er…Autumn Maiden because much like Yang, Cinder had a fire theme going for her._

 _Does that all make sense? Maybe? Admittedly, my rationalization for Blake being the Spring Maiden is a little flimsy here, but I couldn't come up with anyway to connect Yang to that season. So there you go._

 _I feel like I really learned a lot writing this story. For starters, I am never doing the mega-chapter format ever again. It really sapped my motivation because it felt like I wasn't making any progress even when I was. Lessons learned and all that._

 _This is effectively the end of the Missing Pieces series. But! I do have an idea for one more story in this continuity. It's far enough removed from the previous three to effectively be a standalone story, so it's not exactly a sequel per se. I'll probably get around to writing it someday, but still let me know if you're interested in reading it._

 _A big thank you to everyone who left a review or comment! Just because this story's done doesn't mean the fun is over though. I've got some one-shots cooking up that I think you all will enjoy. I'll see you next time!_

 _As always, I welcome constructive criticism. Please feel free to leave a review. And if you like what you've read, taking the time to favorite and/or follow really helps me out. You can also find me on tumblr (electronicyarn) if you want to send me a message or be notified of updates._


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